LIBERTY COUNTY – Three officials from the Liberty County Fire Marshal’s Office, including the fire marshal himself, have been arrested on charges of theft, official oppression and tampering with evidence.
Fire Marshal Bill Hergemueller, along with assistants Nat Holcomb and Jesse McGraw, were all booked into the Liberty County Jail following an investigation into their actions while on duty, according to Liberty County judicial records.
Recommended Videos
Hergemueller faces multiple charges, including official oppression, tampering with physical evidence with intent to impair, and theft of property valued between $750 and $2,500.
Holcomb is charged with tampering with a government record (defraud/harm) and theft of property valued between $750 and $2,500 (enhanced). McGraw, another assistant fire marshal, also faces charges of tampering with a government record (defraud/harm) and tampering with physical evidence with intent to impair.
All three of the men have since been released from jail according to court records.
According to court documents, Hergemueller and Holcomb stole products from the trailer of an 18-wheeler which was involved in a crash on US 59 in December 2022. In that incident, they are also accused of siphoning diesel from the 18-wheeler and pouring it into a 55-gallon drum for personal use.
In another incident, the documents say Hergemueller and Holcomb responded to a fatal crash on FM 787 in October 2023 where a box truck collided head on with another vehicle. The driver of the box truck was killed in the crash. In this incident, the two are accused of taking an aluminum ramp belonging to the owner of the box truck. They also are accused of taking the vehicle’s bumper cover and two rims.
All three of the men also did not have the proper licenses to perform fire inspections, approve plans and permits or to perform fire investigations, according to the court records.
When questioned about this, the court records say Hergemueller admitted to siphoning the diesel from the truck and keeping it for personal use. He also reportedly admitted to taking the aluminum ramp as well as allowing his fire marshal employees to perform fire investigations despite them not having the proper state licenses.
The documents say Holcomb also admitted to the thefts as well as not having the proper licenses. McGraw also admitted to not having the proper licenses to perform fire inspections or investigations, the documents say.