A Maryland police chief has been charged with setting a dozen fires in an attempt to get back at people who allegedly did him wrong.
On Wednesday, authorities arrested former Laurel police chief David M. Crawford on several attempted murder charges after the 69-year-old allegedly set vehicles, homes, and residential garages aflame. The Prince George’s County Fire Department said the incidents were from 2011 to 2020, NBC News reports.
According to the news outlet, Crawford would allegedly carry out the arson early in the morning. NBC reports that the suspect was usually seen wearing a sweatshirt with a hood covering his face while carrying gasoline jugs. Authorities said the person was caught on camera using a stick wrapped in a cloth to set the fires, and then he drove off in a silver sedan.
Police were at a standstill in the case until 2020, when authorities found a connection between the victims, which led them to Crawford. The victims all told the police that their belongings were set on fire after having a dispute with Crawford. According to NBC, the victims included a former City of Laurel official, a former Laurel police chief, two other former law enforcement officials, two of Crawford’s family members, two of Crawford’s former physicians, and a neighbor, NBC reports.
Five of the fires took place in Howard County, three were in Montgomery, two fires were in Prince George’s, and one was in Frederick. Police are also looking at Crawford as the suspect involved in a March 2019 arson in Charles County. The Charles County fire spread to a nearby home where the victim and his family were sleeping inside. At this time, there is no attorney listed for Crawford. Crawford retired from the police force in 2019, stating his departure was for “personal reasons.”
