NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – A New Braunfels man who engaged in a six-hour standoff with police in late April said he regrets how the incident played out but remains firm in his decision to defend his property rights.
In his first public comments since his April 22 arrest, John Herrmann, 64, detailed the lengthy property dispute that preceded the standoff at 2042 Carter Lane.
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“I emphatically believed that what was being done was unlawful,” Herrmann said.
In late 2023, Herrmann took steps to move his home into an irrevocable trust to protect the asset for his wife in the event he passes away.
While researching the full legal description of the property, Herrmann said he uncovered issues with the mortgage.
“There was no deed of trust recorded against our property. No lien,” Herrmann said.
Herrmann said a subsequent forensic analysis he had done on the property revealed concerns beyond no deed or lien.
The home’s note had been sold off by the Credit Union of Texas to a subsidiary, CUTX Debt Securities 1-2022, a special purpose vehicle created for issuing mortgage-backed securities.
The investigator hired by Herrmann noted the subsidiary had not taken the proper steps to acquire the loan.
Herrmann told KSAT he repeatedly tried to alert the credit union to what he found, but he did not get a response.
“What we’re not going to do is continue to participate in this contract when there are problems with the contract,” Herrmann said.
Herrmann stopped making payments on the home, and the mortgage eventually went into default, records show.
Certified records obtained by KSAT Investigates show Herrmann and his wife signed a deed of trust for the property in late 2021.
However, the document was not filed with the Guadalupe County Clerk’s Office until February 2024, the records show.
Herrmann, according to court records, was dealt a series of legal setbacks in courts in Guadalupe County and a San Antonio appeals court as he attempted to fight off foreclosure and eviction.
Chief deputy constable says Herrmann pointed long gun at him and partner; booby-trapped gate with shotgun shells
Days after Herrmann appealed the foreclosure to the Texas Supreme Court, deputy constables from Guadalupe County Precinct 4 showed up at his property to carry out the eviction.
They had taped an eviction notice to his front door days earlier, but Herrmann told KSAT he believed it was a “bluff.”
On the morning of April 22, Herrmann told KSAT that he was on his computer upstairs while his wife got ready for work.
“And they started banging on our door. It was not just knocking. It was smashing on the door,” Herrmann said. “And I’m in a complete state of panic and terror.”
Precinct 4 Chief Deputy Constable Jim Wolverton told KSAT via telephone that Herrmann’s gate to his backyard was wired with shotgun shells.
When Wolverton and another deputy constable entered the residence, he said Herrmann was standing on a balcony overlooking the entryway, pointing a long gun at them.
Wolverton told KSAT he and his partner retreated from the home because his partner’s ballistic shield was only rated to take on handgun fire.
Wolverton said the incident was the first time in his law enforcement career that he encountered this type of situation while executing a civil court order.
Herrmann, when asked by KSAT if he pointed a weapon at the deputy constables, said, “I can answer that. I think I prefer not to. OK, but I think it’s pretty apparent.”
Herrmann said the shells wired to the gate were blanks previously installed to scare off would-be intruders.
“Unfortunately, he fell into a sovereign citizen ideology,” Wolverton said. “I know he hates that word.”
A sovereign citizen is a person who no longer recognizes the laws of the United States government and often pushes back against taxing authorities and court orders.
Herrmann, an Air Force veteran, told KSAT he is not a sovereign citizen.
“I’m not a crazy guy, and I’m not irresponsible,” Herrmann said. “I’m a man of honor and integrity and responsibility.”
After deputy constables retreated from Herrmann’s home, the New Braunfels Police Department dispatched numerous units to the property, including its SWAT team and a crisis negotiator, an incident report shows.
A nearby school was also evacuated.
Herrmann told KSAT his distraught wife eventually made her way out of the residence and that he surrendered after tear gas canisters were shot into the home.
Herrmann, who is free on bond, faces a list of criminal charges including aggravated assault against a public servant, unlawful carry of a weapon and interference with public duties.
Herrmann is not allowed to set foot on the property, which law enforcement officials told KSAT has been returned to the credit union.
Broken glass and shattered windows remained at the home more than a month after the standoff ended.
Credit Union of Texas officials did not respond to multiple emails from KSAT seeking comment for this story.
An official for the law firm that represented the credit union in foreclosure and eviction proceedings against Herrmann told KSAT, “Everything that we did in this case was done with a court order. The courts approved every step of the process.”
When asked by KSAT why the credit union waited 25 months to file the deed with Guadalupe County, the official said they were not the attorney assigned to the case and could not provide a sufficient answer.
Despite his arrest, Herrmann continues to question how the eviction was executed, pointing out that his appeal to the Texas Supreme Court was pending at the time of the eviction and that the home was moved to the trust before foreclosure and eviction proceedings being initiated.
“I didn’t want things to go this way. I regret that they have gone this way, but I don’t regret the fact that I’ve stood up for myself,” Herrmann said. “I’ve stood up for our rights. I’ve stood up for what the law is.”
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