Former Police Chief Torched A Dozen Houses To Get Revenge

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Investigators say former police chief David Crawford committed 13 arsons in five Maryland counties over the course of nearly a decade before he was caught in 2021.

Posted by snoofy at 08:02 PM | 3 COMMENTS | permalink

"If you fired him, you'd be a target," said John McCarthy, the state's attorney for Montgomery County. "If he had a dispute with you over some school board matter, you would become a target."

One of those victims was Crawford's own stepson, Justin Scherstrom. Prosecutors say Crawford set fire to his stepson's Clarksburg home multiple times.

Comments

... "If you fired him, you'd be a target," said John McCarthy, the state's attorney for Montgomery County. "If he had a dispute with you over some school board matter, you would become a target." ...

OK, here's a question I have ...

... Investigators say former police chief David Crawford committed 13 arsons in five Maryland counties ...

OK, was he fired in one county, but then hired in a different county. Only to be fired again? Lather, rinse, repeat?

I have read of such fire-then-hire-by-other-jurisdiction for law enforcement officers in the past.

Is this an example of that?

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-02-15 09:24 PM

@#1

Along those lines ...

CT lawmakers want to block hiring of fired officers (2022)
www.ctpost.com

... Connecticut lawmakers have introduced a bill that would block police departments from hiring officers who were previously fired for serious misconduct or who left another law enforcement agency while under investigation. ...