Former police chief pleads guilty to arson in Montgomery County

Former police chief pleads guilty to targeted, deliberate fires

David Michael Crawford pleaded guilty on Friday on multiple arson counts in Montgomery County. 

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - A former police chief who once swore to protect the public is now a convicted arsonist.

What we know:

David Michael Crawford pleaded guilty on Friday on multiple arson counts in Montgomery County. 

The judge found Crawford guilty on Counts 1, 4, and 6 — tied to a series of deliberate fires. One of those fires happened while his pregnant daughter-in-law and children were inside. Miraculously, no one was killed in any of the fires. 

Crawford was arrested in March 2021, and has already been convicted of arson in Howard County. 

Dig deeper:

Prosecutors told the court Crawford created what they described as a target list — a list of names of people whose homes were later set on fire. 

One of those names was his own stepson. 

Investigators say the former police chief used his knowledge of the system to avoid detection.

Investigators say digital evidence, including internet searches and documents recovered from his computer, tied Crawford to 13 fires across multiple jurisdictions. Prosecutors described a pattern — telling the court that people who had disagreements with Crawford or crossed him appeared on that alleged target list.

What's next:

Crawford now faces up to 80 years in prison under the plea agreement — to run concurrent with his Howard County sentence.