25+ Years of Service

A career built in San Miguel County, from Deputy to Sheriff.

Every rank, a strong commitment to impartial justice.

Career Path

Every rank in the agency.

Mountain Village Police Department

Five years as a Peace Officer, coordinating training and managing the training budget.

Deputy & Corporal, San Miguel County Sheriff's Office

As Corporal in the jail, designed and implemented the jail's first firearms program and its first Critical Incident Response Team (CERT), along with the office's first court security program.

Sergeant & Investigator

From 2011–2020, led (or co-led) and successfully prosecuted every major case investigated by the Sheriff's Office.

Undersheriff

Built lasting partnerships with neighboring agencies, local organizations, and federal land management partners.

Sheriff — Appointed April 2025, Running to Continue in 2026

Unanimously appointed Sheriff by the San Miguel County Commissioners on April 22, 2025, over opponent Lane Masters, and sworn into office on June 2, 2025.

Reduced overtime spending by 52.6%, modernized office technology, and launched five new public safety programs in just over a year.

Major Cases

A record of results on the county's toughest cases.

Investigations under my management led to arrests and/or convictions in every major case investigated by the Sheriff's Office, including a 40-year serial pedophile, the cult killing of two young girls in Norwood, a serial business burglar, a serial sex offender who assaulted at least 12 women, Operation Black Bear (a gun, money, and drug trafficking ring), Operation Ocean Pearl (a drug and money laundering ring), and front-line work on the region's gray- and black-market marijuana industry. Logged roughly 2,000 hours in court as an investigator or advisory witness for the district attorney.

Certifications & Service

Beyond the badge.

Sheriff Covault is a certified instructor in firearms, Taser, Intoxilyzer, less-lethal munitions, and defensive tactics. He served four years on the board of the Western Colorado Peace Officers Association, holding both the vice president and president positions, and has twice been named Officer of the Year by the San Miguel Resource Center. He was selected by the Seventh Judicial District Attorney's Office to serve on the Colorado District Attorneys Council's cannabis legislation review board, and by the Colorado State Senate to serve on the state's cold case review team. He has also presented case studies at the Colorado District Attorneys Council Conference and the Colorado Association of Sex Crimes Investigators conference.

Thank you for your trust and support.

I respectfully ask for your vote in the 2026 general election.

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