Former Laurel, MD, Police Department Chief Enters Plea in Arson Case

Mar. 25—A former police chief accused of setting fires throughout Maryland, including one at a Jefferson home in 2018, awaits sentencing after entering a plea in Frederick County Circuit Court Thursday.

David Michael Crawford, 70, of Ellicott City, entered an Alford plea to one count of first-degree arson for setting a garage ablaze on April 3, 2018, while the occupants of the attached home were in bed. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but concedes that the prosecution has enough evidence to get a conviction.

As part of the binding plea, the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office will seek a sentence of 20 years with all but 18 months suspended for the arson charge and abandon the two counts of reckless endangerment.

The sentencing is tentatively set for Aug. 11, but Judge Scott L. Rolle said the date could change if the cases against Crawford in other jurisdictions are not resolved by then. Online court records Thursday showed active arson cases against Crawford in Montgomery, Howard and Prince George's counties.

He continues to be held without bail.

Crawford's defense attorney, Robert Bonsib, emphasized to Rolle that the Alford plea did not signify Crawford admitting guilt to the Jefferson fire or any others. Bonsib declined to comment further after the hearing.

In March of 2021, numerous fire and police agencies announced the arrest of Crawford in connection to a dozen fires between 2011 and 2020 in Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's counties. In some of the cases, he faces attempted murder charges, online court records said.

Crawford is a former major of the Prince George's County Police Department and a former chief of the District Heights Police Department. His most recent law enforcement position ended in 2010, when he was asked to resign as chief of the Laurel Police Department, according to charging documents.

Gasoline found at Jefferson fire

Locally, Crawford was charged with setting a home's garage on fire in the 2300 block of Gapland Road in Jefferson.

A driver passing by the home around 3:30 a.m. saw the fire, called 9-1-1 and knocked on the door to awaken the two occupants, Assistant State's Attorney Jason Shoemaker said in court Thursday. They began efforts to extinguish the blaze as the fire company was en route.

The victims, who spoke in court about the 2018 incident, said the experience left them feeling unsafe in their home.

"We could have been killed," one victim said tearfully, adding he should be in jail for longer.

Firefighters thought the cause was electrical at first, but the homeowner found that the outlet suspected of being the source of the fire did not have power at the time, Shoemaker said. Upon further investigation from the Frederick County Fire Marshal's Office, a K-9 alerted to the presence of ignitable liquid on the garage doors. A lab test showed the liquid was gasoline, Shoemaker said.

As police investigated and began collaborating with other agencies facing unsolved fires, evidence pointed to Crawford.

Crawford contacted one of the Jefferson victims on Facebook about the fire, Shoemaker said, before the victim posted anything about it.

The investigation also revealed Crawford Googled the victim's address the day of the fire and later searched for reports of the fire by The Frederick News-Post.

What's more, Shoemaker said police found a list of names consistent with the names of the arson victims on a computer in Crawford's home.

Charging documents suggest Crawford had a poor relationship with one of the Jefferson victims, who reportedly recommended another police officer over Crawford for a promotion years ago.

Follow Mary Grace Keller on Twitter: @MaryGraceKeller

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