Following an investigation by the Texas Rangers, three members of the Liberty County Fire Marshal’s Office are currently out on bond. They have been accused of perpetrating crimes while on duty.
William “Bill” Hergemueller, 63, is accused of official oppression, tampering/fabricating physical evidence, tampering with a government record, and larceny of property. He is designated as the fire marshal for the county and the coordinator of Liberty County’s Office of Emergency Management. Additionally, Hergemueller is employed as a firefighter with the Highway 321 Volunteer Fire Department.
Erskine “Nat” Holcomb, 64, is accused of engaging in larceny of property and tampering with a government record. He serves as the superintendent of the Cypress Lakes Volunteer Fire Department and is a deputy fire marshal.
Jesse McGraw, 49, is accused of falsifying or tampering with physical evidence with the intention of impairing it and tampering with a government record. Additionally, he serves as the assistant superintendent and deputy fire marshal of the Highway 321 Volunteer Fire Department.
None of the men possessed the necessary licenses to perform their responsibilities at the fire marshal’s office, as indicated by their arrest affidavits.
“Employees within the Fire Marshal’s Office did not have any TCFP state licenses to perform fire inspections, approve plans and permits or to perform fire investigations,” as stated in the court document.
Nevertheless, the men issued certificates of occupancy and conducted fire inspections of the county jail, schools, businesses, gas stations, and daycares, as indicated in the document.
They also conducted criminal fire investigations, during which they seized evidence, according to officials.
Hergemueller and Holcomb are also accused of stealing from collision scenes, including one that resulted in fatalities, according to court records.
The arrest affidavit indicates that Liberty County contracts the nonprofit South Liberty County Hazardous Materials Team, which includes all three males.
Hergemueller, the chief of the Hazmat team, is accused of donning the attire of his county fire marshal to obtain early access to scenes for their Hazmat operations, which were distinct from his role as fire marshal. In court records, he is also accused of utilizing his position to persuade towing services that they must pay a charge to his hazmat company in order to operate in Liberty County.
The three males were all arrested on Monday and subsequently released the same day.
