Office Leadership
Mike Holley, First Assistant District Attorney
As First Assistant District Attorney, Mike is responsible for the day to day management of the office, supervision and training of employees, and the preparation of the annual office budget.
Prior to joining the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, Mike served in the United States Army. Mike's Army career began as a Military Police Officer before The Army sent him to law school. Mike would go on to serve as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney in the Army and in 2004 would serve as the Chief Prosecutor in the Abu Ghraib Detainee Abuse cases. Mike left the Army as a Major after 13 years of service and spent the next 6 years in private practice with the Lanier Law Firm. After joining the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, Mike served as a felony prosecutor and Chief of the Misdemeanor Division. Mike assisted in the creation of our county’s Veterans Court, prosecuted Animal Cruelty cases and served on the Vehicular Crimes call-out team. Mike spends a substantial amount of his time training new lawyers and law enforcement officers in the County, and he has spoken at various conferences across the state and the country.
Mike was promoted to his current position as First Assistant in 2016. Mike is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Bureau Chiefs
Kelly Blackburn, Trial Bureau Chief
As Chief of the Trial Bureau, Kelly supervises all of the prosecutors assigned to the specialized divisions and to the felony and misdemeanor trial courts.
Kelly is a graduate of Texas Tech University and South Texas College of Law. Kelly began his legal career as a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney's Office. Kelly would go on to become an Assistant United States Attorney with the United States’ Department of Justice. In 2010, Kelly joined the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office as the a Chief Prosecutor of a District Court. Kelly would go onto serve as the Chief Prosecutor of various District Courts and as Chief of the Office’s Public Integrity Unit.
In 2014, Kelly was promoted to Chief of the Trial Bureau where he supervised all prosecutors and staff assigned to the District, County, and Justice Courts of Montgomery County.
He is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Bill Delmore, Legal Service Bureau Chief
With over 30 years as a prosecutor, Bill has a wealth of knowledge and experience that he brings to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office. Bill is a graduate of the University of Texas and the University of Houston Law Center. Bill started his career as a law clerk for the judges of the highest criminal court in Texas, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Bill then joined the Harris County District Attorney's Office where he served as general counsel to the Harris County District Attorney, Chief of the Appellate Division, and as Chief of the Legal Services Bureau. Bill has authored over 600 appellate briefs during his career and represented the State of Texas in the Supreme Court of the United States.
As Chief of the Legal Services Bureau, Bill oversees the intake and appellate sections of the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, petitions for expunction and nondisclosure, Public Information Act requests, and serves as special counsel to the District Attorney.
He is Board Certified in Criminal Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Investigators & Administration
Chris Smith, Chief Investigator
Chief Investigator Chris Smith leads a team of over fifteen sworn peace officers whose responsibilities including assisting prosecutors prepare cases for jury trial, locating and interviewing witnesses, assisting law enforcement agencies with their investigations, and conducting independent investigations of officer-involved shootings.
Chris is a graduate of Sam Houston State University and started his career as a patrol officer with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and promoted to the rank of Detective. Chris served the citizens of Montgomery County with the MCSO for 10 years before joining the District Attorney's Office as an investigator in 2002. Chris has more than 20 years experience in law enforcement and has attained Master Peace Officer status.
Melisa Appleton, DA Administrator
Melisa Appleton has over 30 years’ experience in county government administration. Mrs. Appleton has a paralegal certificate from Southwestern Paralegal Institute, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice as well as a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, Leadership, and Management from Sam Houston State University.
As DA Administrator, Melisa supervises the administrative staff, legal assistants, and victims assistance coordinators who run the daily operations of the office and assist the prosecutors and investigators ensure that justice is done for the victims of crime.