Former Maryland police chief gets multiple life sentences in series of arson attacks
A former Maryland police chief was sentenced Tuesday to multiple life sentences for setting fire to the homes, garages and cars of people prosecutors said had belittled him.
Howard County Circuit Court Judge Richard S. Bernhardt sentenced David M. Crawford, 71, a former chief of the Laurel Police Department, to eight life sentences plus 75 years in prison, according to the Howard County Prosecutor’s Office.
Several terms will run concurrently, but the sentence will keep Mr. Crawford off the streets for the rest of his life, said Richard H. Gibson Jr., the state’s attorney.
“He was a law enforcement officer,” Mr. Gibson said. “He should have been someone who understood justice, empathy and order. Instead, he acted in a violent manner.”
Mr Crawford was arrested in 2021 in connection with a dozen arson attacks in six counties from 2011 to 2020.
A Howard County jury in March convicted Mr. Crawford of eight counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree arson and one count of attempted deliberate fire in connection with four fires set in 2017 and 2018. None of the victims died.
Victims of the Howard County fires include Mr. Crawford’s chiropractor; an acquaintance of his wife through a foster care organization called Voices for Children; and another person he knew through a parental rights group, Mr. Gibson said.
Mr. Crawford had already pleaded guilty to arson in Frederick County where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to The Baltimore Sun. The cases against Mr. Crawford in Montgomery and Prince George counties are pending.
The various fires showed similar patterns, prosecutors said. The arsonist was seen on surveillance footage wearing a hooded sweatshirt that hid his face. He poured gasoline from gallon jugs and used a stick wrapped in cloth. A silver sedan was sometimes spotted near the crime scene.
In January 2021, police executed a search warrant on Mr Crawford. Investigators reviewed his Internet search history and, according to authorities, found a “target list” on his phone, which listed known victims.
Mr. Crawford had been a police officer for years. He served as police chief in Laurel from 2006 until his resignation in 2010. Prior to that, he served as Chief of the District Heights Police Department and prior to that was a major in the Prince George’s County Police Department.
Mr. Crawford’s attorney, Robert C. Bonsib, said on Tuesday his client still maintains his innocence and plans to appeal soon.
“This is a sad and unfortunate end for a man who has served his community well in law enforcement for decades,” Mr Bonsib said in an email.