A former Laurel, Maryland, police chief was sentenced to eight life terms plus 75 years on Tuesday for intentionally setting fire to buildings belonging to his adversaries.
According to the investigation, this led several law enforcement agencies to an extensive investigation that linked a dozen arson attacks that spanned nearly a decade and crisscrossed multiple counties.
David Crawford, 71, was arrested in March 2021 and charged with more than 50 felonies.
Crawford served as Laurel’s police chief from 2006 until his resignation in 2010. Before that, he worked for other local police agencies throughout his career, including in high-ranking positions.
Prosecutors said the victims of the arson included a former Laurel city official, three former law enforcement officers, a Crawford neighborhood resident, two of his family members and two chiropractors who had treated him.
Crawford was convicted in March by a Howard County jury, who found him guilty of eight counts of first-degree attempted murder, three counts of first-degree arson and one count of first-degree arson.
“Judge (Richard S.) Bernhardt handed down a sentence today that we believe is entirely appropriate to the defendant’s crimes,” said State Attorney Richard Gibson. “The horror and nature of arson is so profoundly powerful in its impact and complete in its destruction on the victim’s peace of mind that it is only fitting that the defendant spend the rest of his natural life behind bars.”
Authorities reported that investigators linked some of the fires to 2020 after discovering that Crawford had previous disagreements with the victims. During a search of her home in January 2021, officers found a hit list.
Crawford’s conviction concerned four fires in Howard County that occurred in 2017 and 2018, including two in occupied homes. No one was injured in the flames, which started in the early hours of the morning. Surveillance video from some of the scenes showed Crawford using gasoline to start the fires, according to police.
Prosecutors added that Crawford also targeted one of the houses for a second time, shortly after renovations were completed after the first fire.
“It is particularly egregious that someone who dedicated his life to law enforcement and was a police chief at some point in his career would take it upon himself to engage in conduct that was evil and terrifying in nature,” Gibson concluded.
