Ex-MD Police Chief Sentenced For Arson, Attempted Murder: Report

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Former Laurel police chief David Crawford was sentenced to serve multiple life sentences in prison three months after a Howard County jury found him guilty of attempted murder and arson, according to a WBAL-TV report.

Crawford, 71, was found guilty of multiple felony charges including arson and eight counts of attempted first-degree murder following a six-day trial in March. During the trial, prosecutors said Crawford purposely set at least a dozen fires spanning six counties between 2011 and 2020 and targeted the homes of people he believed slighted him.

Several of the homes were occupied, including by children, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office.

Crawford had been held without bail since his arrest in March 2021, WBAL reported.

Authorities began investigating Crawford in 2019 after noticing a connection between several arsons. Crawford was charged in Frederick, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George's counties. He reportedly set fires in Anne Arundel and Charles counties but was never formally charged.

During his trial, prosecutors said Crawford had a list of intended targets and would plot revenge against anyone who challenged his authority, according to multiple reports. Prosecutors also said nine of the 11 people on the list were associates or relatives of Crawford, and all were victims of intentionally set fires at their homes.

Targets included Crawford's chiropractor, his successor as Laurel police chief, Laurel's city administrator, and former colleagues in the Prince George's County Police Department, the Banner reported.

According to court documents, Crawford first set fire to his stepson's home in Clarksburg in 2016. The stepson wasn't home then, but the flames spread to an adjacent property while the neighbors were inside.

Prosecutors said he set his stepson's unoccupied home ablaze again in 2019. A third fire was set in a garage behind the stepson's other house in 2020.

In March 2022, Crawford entered an Alford plea in Frederick County Circuit Court for one count of first-degree arson. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but concedes that the prosecution has enough evidence to get a conviction.

In addition to his role as Laurel police chief, Crawford was a former major of the Prince George's County Police Department and a former chief of the District Heights Police Department.