A Liberty County grand jury has indicted three former members of the Liberty County Fire Marshal’s Office — including former Fire Marshal William “Bill” Hergemueller — on charges stemming from alleged misconduct while in office.
Hergemueller, along with assistant fire marshals Erskine “Nat” Holcomb and Jesse McGraw, originally charged with three counts now faces two criminal counts. The indictments were handed down Wednesday, May 7, following a Texas Rangers investigation.
Hergemueller was indicted on charges of theft and official oppression, while a third charge — tampering or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair — was no billed by the grand jury.
The theft charge alleges that on Oct. 24, 2023, Hergemueller unlawfully appropriated a bumper cover and two vehicle rims from Momentum Jaguar. The total value of the property was estimated between $750 and $2,500. At the time, Hergemueller was serving as both the Liberty County fire marshal and chief of the South Liberty County Hazardous Materials Team.
The official oppression charge stems from a February 2024 incident in which Hergemueller allegedly performed a fire inspection in retaliation against a person who refused to pay an invoice issued by the hazardous materials team. According to the indictment, the inspection was performed under the color of his official authority, knowing the action was unlawful.
McGraw was indicted on one count of tampering with a governmental record, while a separate count of tampering or fabricating physical evidence was no billed. The indictment alleges McGraw made a false entry in a governmental record during a March 20, 2024, inspection of a daycare facility in Hardin. Investigators say he lacked the required Texas Commission on Fire Protection license to conduct the inspection while employed by the fire marshal’s office.
Holcomb faces two indictments: one for theft and another for tampering with a governmental record. Like McGraw, Holcomb is accused of falsifying information during an inspection — in his case, at a Best Western hotel — and not holding the proper state license. The theft charge against him is tied to the same auto parts cited in Hergemueller’s case: a bumper cover and two rims allegedly taken from Momentum Jaguar.
All three men are no longer employed by the county. They were all three previously booked in at the Liberty County Jail prior to bonding out while awaiting court action. Each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Thugs.🤣
Funny how I was billed $5000 for putting out my house fire and harassed me at my business demanding payment and was told they found no wrong doing. Smh…. glad they got caught no one would listen to me when I spoke out.
Sounds like a beating or two is necessary.
Funny how I was billed $5000 for putting out my house fire and harassed me at my business demanding payment and was told they found no wrong doing. Smh…. glad they got caught no one would listen to me when I spoke out.
Karma
Liberty fire department is crooked as it gets I wish the state would look into them. My house burned down and it was purposely set on fire. I even let the “fire chief” or whatever head firefighter on site was, take a picture of the text message from the person who set my house on fire stating that they were going to set it on fire. And the didn’t do shit about it. The city of Liberty is a joke, embarrassment, and crooked as they come
Nat was my neighbor in Houston for a time, Good guy, hard worker. Funny how our lives change…!