The former police chief of Laurel, Maryland, was sentenced to 55 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree arson and one count of second-degree arson for fires he started at the homes of his family members in 2016 through 2020.
David Michael Crawford, 74, of Ellicott City, is already serving a prison sentence for crimes committed in Howard County, for which he was sentenced to eight life terms and 75 additional years.
In 2021, Crawford was charged with setting 12 fires in houses, cars and garages in Prince George’s, Montgomery, Howard, Frederick and Charles counties.
Crawford, a former major in the Prince George’s County Police Department and the former police chief in Laurel and District Heights, had set the fires between 2011 and 2020.
Court documents showed that among the victims was Martin Flemion, who was deputy city administrator in Laurel when Crawford was police chief; Richard McLaughlin, who took over as chief when Crawford was asked to resign in 2010; and a retired Prince George’s County deputy chief who recommended someone other than Crawford to succeed him.
The Montgomery County charges stem from three house fires in Clarksburg in 2016, 2017 and 2020, at homes owned by Crawford’s family members.
Crawford’s stepson was also victimized by fires three times — twice at one house, then again at the house he moved to afterward.
According to charging documents, Crawford kept a note on his phone with a “Target List” and had attempted to conceal the names with symbols and letters.
On Sept. 5, 2016, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue responded to a townhouse fire in Clarksburg where a fire had been started “along the base of the garage door.” Investigators determined it was owned by Crawford’s stepson, Justin Scherstrom. In video surveillance footage from a neighbor, investigators could hear the sound of liquid being poured and the “three distinct ‘clicks’ of a lighter being used.” This would be the first of three fires at homes owned by Scherstrom.
Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said at a news conference following the court decision Friday that because of Crawford’s background in law enforcement, “it’s a shocking development.”
Montgomery County Fire Lt. Chris Moe, who led the investigation into the series of purposefully set fires, said, “It’s nice to finally see after 10 years, that we can finally bring some sort of resolution to the case and to the family and give them some closure.”
Scherstrom also spoke at the news conference, telling reporters, “This is a deeply personal case, causing my family a lot of stress over the years.”
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