A career police officer who was chief of two police departments was sentenced Feb. 13 to 55 years in prison. The sentence was in connection with three arsons in Clarksburg, two of them involved the home of his stepson and daughter-in-law.
David Michael Crawford, 74, previously was sentenced in Howard County to multiple life sentences plus 75 years in jail for arson and murder. Those charges included eight counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree arson and one count of first-degree malicious burning.
Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge James Bonifant said the Montgomery County sentence would run concurrently with the Howard County sentence.
In Montgomery County, Crawford, an Ellicott City resident, had pled guilty to two counts of first-degree arson and one count of second-degree arson.
“This is a deeply personal case. It caused my family a lot of distress,” said Crawford’s stepson Justin Scherstrom during a press conference following the sentencing. He was accompanied by his wife Mariam Scherstrom, Crawford’s daughter-in-law.
“We are just finally ready to move on with a new chapter in our lives,” Justin Scherstrom said.
State’s Attorney for Montgomery County John McCarthy said that his office had requested Crawford be sentenced to 80 years, but the sentence Bonifant delivered was “appropriate.”
The 55-year sentence was “at least three times longer than the Maryland sentencing guidelines,” McCarthy said.
Crawford was “a lifelong police officer” who set 13 fires in five different Maryland counties, McCarthy noted.
Two of the three fires in Clarksburg were at his stepson’s home. The first occurred Sept. 5, 2016. The second took place on Sept. 29, 2017. Because their home was part of a condominium complex on Majestic Elm Court, the damage could have been far worse had the fire spread throughout the complex, McCarthy said.
The third fire was set at a single-family home in Clarksburg on Nov. 17, 2020. It also was owned by one of his family members.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services Lt. Chris Moe led the investigation over a 10-year period. Following the sentencing, Moe said, “I’m excited that we can finally bring some resolution to this here in Montgomery County.”
(545a) 22600blk Majestic Elm Ct, Clarksburg, Cause ARSON; Total Damage >$75k; smoke alarms functioned; no injury pic.twitter.com/03ch75SklM
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) September 5, 2016
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