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Dan Covault will be San Miguel County’s next sheriff.

“It’s quite surreal. I don’t believe it’s quite hit home yet,” Covault said. “The concept of spending almost a quarter century here and working my way up, and becoming sheriff was not something I ever anticipated.”

The San Miguel Board of County Commissioners appointed Covault to serve as the next sheriff on Wednesday.

“When I walked through those doors, into the jail, in the year 2000, I had no ambitions to think that I would ever make it this far,” he said. “It’s really through Bill Masters’ tutelage and guidance that I’ve been able to reach this point in my career.”

The vacancy in the sheriff’s position comes after current Sheriff Bill Masters announced his retirement for this summer. Masters is the longest-serving sheriff in Colorado. He has been sheriff in San Miguel County for more than 45 years.

Covault said he feels the weight of being the first new sheriff in over four decades.

“I’d like to think I can carry on Sheriff Masters’ legacy and continue this agency down the path he has laid down for the past four decades,” he said. “He instilled in me, over the years, a very heavy sense of community and pride and what is right versus what is not.

“The concept of transparency and, especially in today’s world, how important that is to the public — that we’re not this anonymous figure doing things behind the scenes, but we’re open and we’re out front. Sheriff Bill is leaving behind some really big shoes and I hope I can wear them.”

Covault graduated from Montrose High School in 1989. He went on to attend the Delta/Montrose Law Enforcement Academy, joining the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office in 2000. He left for a number of years to work for the Mountain Village Police Department before returning to the sheriff’s office.

He acknowledged there’s going to be a learning curve for the whole department with a change in leadership.

“Sheriff Bill has been our figurehead for my entire career,” Covault said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of feeling our way through things and getting used to ‘hey, Sheriff Bill’s not here, and now we’ve got to figure out how to do things without him,’ because we’ve relied on him so heavily for all these years. So, there’s going to be a big learning curve probably for everyone who’s employed here.”

Covault said he hopes the sheriff’s office can have more community involvement and more community policing in the county. He added he hopes the public can see the shift in leadership as a positive.

“Change is sometimes hard, but it’s always good. Generally, good things come out of it,” he said. “So, I would ask them to be patient as we move through this process, and know that our doors are always open to them for whatever their concerns or needs may be.

“If something comes about that I do or try that they’re not in favor of, I would encourage them to tell me that. If I don’t know it’s broken, I can’t fix it. But if I hear about it, then I can listen and entertain the thought and I can make a rational and informed decision off of the concerns of the constituents of this county.”

Covault will step into the role of San Miguel County sheriff on June 3, 2025.

“I would like to extend a great big thank you to the county commissioners for placing their trust in me to carry this agency through to the next election where the constituents do get to decide who they want for their longer-term sheriff,” he said. “For this short time, I’m very proud and I’m very honored that the county commissioners saw enough in me to think I could do this job until the next election.”

The position of San Miguel County sheriff will be up for election in 2026. Covault said if all goes well, he anticipates running for the job next year.