The former police chief of Laurel 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 ignited at his family members’ residences between 2016 and 2020.
David Michael Crawford, 74, of Ellicott City, is already serving a prison sentence for offenses committed in Howard County, where he was sentenced to eight life terms plus 75 years.
Crawford was charged in 2021 with setting fire to 12 residences, 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 former police chief in Laurel and District Heights, started the fires between 2011 and 2020.
According to court documents, the victims included Martin Flemion, Laurel’s deputy city administrator 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 accusations originate from three house fires in Clarksburg that occurred in 2016, 2017, and 2020 at properties owned by Crawford’s family members.
Crawford’s stepson was likewise the victim of three fires: twice at one property and once at the one he later moved to.
According to the criminal documents, Crawford kept a “Target List” on his phone and tried to obscure the names with symbols and letters.
On September 5, 2016, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue responded to a townhouse fire in Clarksburg, which began “along the base of the garage door.” Investigators discovered that 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 Scherstrom-owned residences.
Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy stated at a news conference following the court judgment Friday that Crawford’s career in law enforcement makes this a “shocking development.”
Montgomery County Fire Lt. Chris Moe, who headed the investigation into the series of purposely caused fires, stated, “It’s nice to 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 appeared at the news conference, telling reporters that “this is a deeply personal case, causing my family a lot of stress over the years.”
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