In 1977, the State Legislature created a new judicial district comprised solely of Blount County. Since that time, the District Attorney General for the Fifth Judicial District has been elected by the voters of Blount County. The first District Attorney General in the newly created district was David G. Ballard who served from 1977 to 1990. In 1990, Mike Flynn was elected and served until retirement on August 31, 2022.  Elected in the August 2022 General Election, Ryan K. Desmond began serving as Blount County's District Attorney General on September 1, 2022.

Mission

The mission of the District Attorney General's Office is to fairly and vigorously prosecute all criminal cases arising in Blount County, Tennessee; to provide legal support to victims and law enforcement agencies investigating crimes in or related to Blount County, and to keep the public and appropriate officials advised as to the activities of the criminal justice system.

Objectives

The objectives of the office are to provide effective and sufficient prosecutorial support to every court (general sessions, criminal, juvenile and federal); provide effective legal support and advice to investigative agencies (local, state and federal) at the earliest appropriate state in their investigations and throughout prosecution on criminal investigations and prosecutions related to Blount County; and provide support and assistance to victims of crime.