MD officials discovered a hit list during a 2021 home search
A former Maryland police chief was convicted Thursday of intentionally setting fire to buildings belonging to his adversaries, leading various law enforcement agencies on a sprawling investigation that linked a dozen arsons spanning nearly a decade and crisscrossing several counties.
David Crawford, 71, was arrested in March 2021 and charged with over 50 felonies. Following his conviction Thursday, he faces life in prison at sentencing.
Crawford served as police chief of Laurel, a city roughly halfway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., from 2006 until his resignation in 2010. Before that, he worked for other local law enforcement agencies throughout his career, including in high-ranking positions.
Prosecutors said the arson victims included a former Laurel city official, three former law enforcement officials, a resident of Crawford’s neighborhood, two of his relatives and two chiropractors who had treated him.
Crawford was convicted by a Howard County jury, which found him guilty of eight counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree arson and one count of first-degree malicious burning. He’s still facing pending charges in other jurisdictions.