Criminal Law
Former Police Chief Charged With Setting Dozens of Fires in Maryland
A former police chief in Laurel, Maryland, is accused of setting a dozen fires in various counties, targeting people with whom he had disagreements.
David M. Crawford, 69, was arrested Wednesday on numerous arson and attempted murder charges, the Prince George’s County Fire Department said. Crawford allegedly set vehicles, homes, and residential garages on fire in a string of arsons from 2011 to 2020.
Many of the fires happened early in the morning and involved a suspect wearing a sweatshirt with a hood drawn tightly around their face and carrying gallon jugs filled with gasoline. Authorities said the person was seen on surveillance video using a stick wrapped in a cloth to set the fires and drove a silver sedan.
