LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas — The Liberty County Fire Marshal and two of his assistant chiefs face multiple charges stemming from accusations that they abused their official capacity.
William “Bill” Hergemueller serves as the fire marshal for the county while Nat Holcomb and Jesse McGraw serve as deputy fire marshals. According to court records, Hergemueller is charged with theft by a public servant, tampering with a governmental record, officials suppression, and tampering with evidence.
Holcomb and McGraw were charged with theft by a public servant and tampering with a governmental record, court records show.
Liberty County District Attorney Jennifer L. Bergman held a press conference Wednesday to discuss the details of charges against the three men.
“Given the sheer volume of calls and emails our office has received in the last two days, we believe this is the most appropriate way to communicate with you all,” she said.
The DA said this all started in January after her office received complaints from numerous entities and individuals about the men. She then requested an investigation be done by the Texas Rangers regarding the three.
After several months of investigating, the Texas Rangers had arrest warrants issued for all three.
While Hergemueller is the fire marshal, he also serves as chief for the Liberty County Hazardous Materials Team. Holcomb also has a second role along with being a deputy fire marshal. He is the assistant chief of the South Liberty County Hazardous Materials Team.
McGraw also serves as a captain on that same team.
The South Liberty County Hazardous Materials Team contracts with the county and receives public funding, the DA said.
She explained that complaints were investigated where towing companies were led to believe by Hergemueller that he runs Liberty County and would send invoices to them for hazmat services. These towing companies then felt they had to comply by paying the invoice in order to continue working with Liberty County.
Bergman said several thousand dollars have been paid over time by these towing companies. One tow truck company said that it had refused to pay such an invoice. As a result, they told investigators that Hergemueller, along with Holcomb, showed up to conduct fire inspections on their business, instilling fear into the owner of the tow truck company.
The DA said this is what led to the official oppression charges.
The Texas Rangers also investigated two crash scenes after complaints were made.
One of the crashes involved an 18-wheeler and diesel spillage. The South Liberty County Hazardous Materials Team responded to the scene. Investigators said Hergemueller and Holcomb were seen punching a hole in the tank of the big rig and siphoning the diesel into a 55-gallon drum.
The witnesses then saw hazmat members unload food products from the wrecked 18-wheeler and put them, along with the diesel, in their vehicles and drive away.
At the second scene, Hergemueller and Holcomb, along with other members of the hazmat team, responded to a deadly crash. Witnesses on scene saw a ramp being loaded into Hergemueller's vehicle and discovered missing car parts that had previously been on scene, but were no longer there.
This is what led to the theft by a public servant charges, the DA said.
In addition, Texas Rangers also discovered that Hergemueller, Holcomb, and McGraw did not have the required state licenses to perform fire inspections, approve plans or permits or licenses for fire investigations.
They also did not possess peace officer licenses to perform arson investigations, according to the DA's office.
The DA said fire inspections of schools, daycares, businesses, and/or county buildings were done on numerous occasions. Tampering with government records charges resulted from these inspections being done without the proper credentials.
Since the men conducted fire investigations and entered crime scenes during investigations, they were also charged with tampering with evidence, Bergman said.
The DA said admissions were made by all three men. Liberty County and local officials have indicated they will cooperate fully with the investigation.
Bergman said the Texas Rangers still need to complete their investigation.
“I have said it before and I will say it again. My office is here to see that justice is done,” the DA said. “I was elected by the people of Liberty County to do the right thing.”
The DA said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges could be filed.