County officials charged with siphoning fuel, cheese, & meat from wrecked semi trucks during crash investigations

Three men were arrested for the theft of fuel and food while conducting tractor trailer crash investigations in Texas this week. 

63-year-old William “Bill” Hergemueller, 64-year-old Erskine “Nat” Holcomb, and 49-year-old Jesse McGraw were all arrested on Monday, September 23rd after an investigation by the Texas Rangers out of Liberty County, Texas. 

According to ABC 13, all three men were members of the Liberty County Fire Marshal’s Office, but did not hold the proper licenses to conduct inspections or other Fire Marshal duties. Additionally, the three men are accused of stealing a variety of items from wrecked commercial vehicles during crash investigations. 

“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,” according to the court document.

One incident of theft occurred on December 19th, 2022, when a semi truck overturned into a ditch on the side of US 59 in Liberty County. Hergemueller and Holcomb and accused of siphoning fuel from the tank of the wrecked rig and transferring it to a tank in the bed of their own vehicle. The men then reportedly ransacked the duck meat, croissants, butter, venison, and high-end cheese left in the trailer of the wrecked truck and loaded it into their own vehicles for personal consumption. 

“After draining the saddle tank of the 18-wheeler, (Hergemueller) and approximately three other members of his hazmat company proceeded to unload product from the trailer of the 18-wheeler and put it into their own vehicles to keep for personal use,” the affidavit states.

In 2023, Hergemueller and Holcomb again responded to a crash, this time a fatal incident involving a box truck, on FM 787, where they stole more items. 

“While on the scene, at the request of (Hergemueller), Asst. Chief Holcomb took a 6-foot large aluminum ramp belonging to the owner of the box truck and placed it into the bed of (Hergemueller’s) vehicle,” the arrest affidavit states. The men then reportedly stole car parts loaded in the back of the box truck. 

Hergemueller is also accused of wearing his county fire marshal’s clothes to gain early access to Hazmat scenes, and of manipulating towing services into paying his hazmat company a fee to operate in Liberty County. 

“The owners of the towing services have paid the (Hergemueller) and his hazmat company several thousand dollars over time,” the arrest affidavit reads.

Hergemueller  is charged with official oppression, tampering/fabricating physical evidence, tampering with a government record, and theft of property. Holcomb is charged with tampering with a government record and theft of property. McGraw is charged with tampering with a government record and tampering/fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair. All three men were released from jail the same day they were booked.