MONTGOMERY COUNTY MARYLAND, A 74-year-old former police chief has been sentenced to decades in prison after admitting to setting multiple fires at properties belonging to individuals he believed had wronged him.
David Crawford pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree arson and one count of second-degree arson in Montgomery County, according to State’s Attorney John McCarthy. A judge sentenced him to 55 years in prison. The sentence is in addition to eight life sentences plus 75 years he received in 2023 in a separate case in Howard County.
Prosecutors said the Montgomery County fires occurred in 2016, 2017, and 2020 at the Clarksburg home of Crawford’s stepson. Justin Scherstrom, the stepson, told reporters the incidents caused significant distress for his family over several years.
Authorities stated that Crawford targeted individuals he believed had slighted him, including former colleagues and acquaintances. In total, investigators linked him to 13 fires across several Maryland counties over nearly a decade before his arrest in March 2021.
According to prosecutors, no fatalities were reported in the fires. However, residents — including families with young children — were forced to evacuate their homes, and many lost personal belongings.
In the earlier Howard County case, a jury convicted Crawford on eight counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree arson, and one count of first-degree malicious burning for incidents that occurred between 2017 and 2018. Due to concurrent sentencing, officials said his effective prison term amounts to two life sentences plus 75 years.
Investigators said they connected multiple cases after discovering Crawford had prior disputes with several victims. During a search of his residence in January 2021, authorities reported finding evidence including a list of alleged targets.
Crawford previously served as chief of the Laurel Police Department from 2006 until resigning in 2010. Before that, he worked with the Prince George’s County Police Department and the District Heights Police Department.
Prosecutors presented surveillance footage during trial that allegedly showed Crawford using gasoline as an accelerant in several of the fires. One of the earliest incidents occurred in 2011 in Prince George’s County, where he was reportedly captured on video setting fire to an unoccupied vehicle.
State’s Attorney Richard Gibson said the sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes and emphasized accountability. The case concludes years of investigations and court proceedings across multiple jurisdictions.
