MINERAL COUNTY - Mineral County Sheriff Terry Wetherill was pleased to announce the promotion of Mike Castro to the position of Mineral County Undersheriff. Castro has been on the force since moving to Creede in January and is eager to further serve the community to the best of his ability. 

Castro became aware of the job after Sheriff Wetherill posted an open position for a sheriff deputy in late 2024 and after having served in several rural communities, felt Creede was the next best fit. Castro comes to his position with an extensive background and a desire to bring top of the line public safety to Mineral County. 

 “I have always wanted to work in public safety, so I started out as a fire cadet explorer in southern Florida near the Brown County area. I went through fire academy during high school and EMT and paramedic school and started as a volunteer fireman until moving on to Miami Fire Rescue in 2002,” said Castro. “I was a technical rescue specialist and dive rescue specialist in the 16 years I served with them.” 

It was after serving several years in the fire rescue service that he became interested in serving as a law enforcement professional which opened several opportunities to serve in communities throughout the US. “I graduated from Palm Beach State Police Academy in 2015 and served in several specialties including tactics, SWAT and others.” 

In 2018, Castro retired from the fire department to serve in law enforcement full time. “I took a break for a while after serving in Utah and Alaska for two communities as Chief of Police and it was then that I knew that I wanted to keep in this line of work. I loved the mountains, loved the small town feel where I could bring my training and experience. Creede was exactly what I was looking for.” 

Castro has spent the last six months learning about Mineral County, the unique challenges of the small mountain town and working with the Mineral County Sherif’s Office team to learn the ropes. “I believe in transparency and equal rights to be protected and cared for. We should have the same level of public safety here in this small town as they do in larger cities. Like the rest of the department, I believe in being prepared for an event now, rather than learn from mistakes. Proactive policing and community policing is very important to me.” 

Castro moved to the area with his family who also are enjoying the new surroundings. “We all love to hunt, fish, hike and pretty much anything outdoors. The Creede community has been very welcoming and has made it feel like home.”