Hoyt uses an appearance of official authority to control outsiders. The prequel later explains how Charlie Hewitt comes to use the sheriff’s identity; that explanation belongs specifically to this continuity.
The prequel reveals Charlie taking over the identity of Sheriff Hoyt. This distinction matters because the film also includes the actual law officer whose name and position he appropriates.
A release-period interview about The Beginning. Ermey’s work is central to understanding how the prequel expands the man using Sheriff Hoyt’s identity.