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Ex-police chief sentenced to multiple life terms in Maryland revenge arson case

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Ex-police chief sentenced to multiple life terms in Maryland revenge arson case


A former Maryland police chief convicted of setting a dozen fires that targeted officials, chiropractors and relatives who he felt had snubbed him was sentenced to multiple life terms in prison Tuesday, authorities said.

A Howard County judge sentenced David Crawford, 71, to eight life sentences plus 75 years in a serial arson case that the state’s attorney’s office said spanned nearly a decade across six counties.

Crawford’s “actual executable prison sentence” is two life terms plus 75 years, the prosecutor’s office said. The terms will run concurrently.

“These families have waited several years for justice and we are grateful to play some part in delivering that for them,” Howard County State’s Attorney Richard Gibson said in a statement. “It is particularly egregious that someone who dedicated their life to law enforcement and was the chief of police at some point in their career would take upon themselves to engage in conduct that was evil and terrifying in its nature.”

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Crawford, a longtime police officer who last served as chief in Laurel, a Washington suburb, was convicted in March of eight counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of malicious burning.

He was arrested two years ago after authorities determined there was a link between the fires, the prosecutor’s office said: Crawford had disagreements with each of the victims.

In some cases, Crawford set homes alight while families slept inside, the prosecutor’s office said. One woman, whose home Crawford had burned twice, expressed relief to NBC affiliate WBAL of Baltimore on Tuesday after the sentence was handed down.

“I’ve been going through a lot the past few years with just the anticipation of everything,” Quinn Henderson told the station.

Former Laurel Police Chief David Crawford was arrested at his home in Ellicott City and is suspected in about a dozen fires throughout Maryland.via NBC Washington

Prosecutors said Crawford developed a target list and began igniting fires with gasoline in 2011, the prosecutor’s office said. The arson attacks stretched across Howard, Frederick, Charles, Montgomery, Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties until 2020, the prosecutor’s office said.

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Among Crawford’s targets were two chiropractors, a city official and three former law enforcement officials, including a former police chief, the prosecutor’s office said.

During the trial, prosecutors said Crawford burned his nephew’s pool, fence and deck after he deleted his uncle on Facebook, WBAL reported.

Clark Price, a former supervisor with the Prince George’s County Police Department, told jurors he could have promoted Crawford twice but didn’t, according to the station.

After Price’s home was set ablaze, he wrote about it on a Facebook page for retired police officers. Crawford sent him a direct message asking for images of the fire, WBAL reported.

Price recounted Crawford’s telling him, “It’s better to be lucky than good. You are both. Cheers,” according to the station.

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On Tuesday, a lawyer for Crawford called the prison sentence “tragic” and said he planned to file an appeal, WBAL reported.

During the trial, Crawford’s defense argued the case was circumstantial, with no physical evidence connecting him to the crimes, the station reported.

Crawford spoke at the hearing but offered no apologies and said his faith in God had been renewed in recent years, according to WBAL.



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Maryland

How to watch Michigan State vs. Maryland (9/7/24): TV channel, kickoff time, live stream

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How to watch Michigan State vs. Maryland (9/7/24): TV channel, kickoff time, live stream


Michigan State got the job done in its season opener, but it wasn’t pretty as it hung on at home against Florida Atlantic. Now, it has to head on the road to open Big Ten play in what promises to be a tougher test.

· Watch the Michigan State Spartans on FuboTV (free trial)

· Watch the Michigan State Spartans on Sling

· Watch the Michigan State Spartans on DirecTV Stream

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· Visit MLive’s Betting Home for latest odds & sportsbook promos

Michigan State is 1-0, but the road gets tougher now. The Spartans go on the road and start Big Ten play early in Week 2 with a trip to Maryland. The Terrapins have a new look this year without quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa but looked strong in their season-opener against Howard last week.

· Who: Michigan State at Maryland

· When: 3:30 p.m.

· Where: SECU Stadium, College Park, Maryland

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· Twitter: Follow Matt Wenzel

· Live updates: Beginning at 2:30 p.m. at mlive.com/spartans

· Latest line: Maryland -9.5

TV Network: Big Ten Network

Streaming options:

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· FuboTV is offering $30 off the first month for all U.S. plans. Sign up to get your favorite TV shows, live sports events, and much more

· Sling currently has an offer of $20 for the first month of subscription and has streaming coverage of live sports, news and entertainment.

· DirecTV Stream offers live sports, news and on demand TV.

Five must-reads before kickoff:

* Michigan State lost two members of its secondary, Dillon Tatum and Khalil Majeed, to long-term injuries in its season opener. The team is turning to some new faces to fill in the holes from those injuries.

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* Alex VanSumeren was once Michigan State’s top-rated recruit, but he’s been seldom seen on the field due to injuries. Now, though, he’s healthy and making his mark on the Spartans’ defensive line.

* Aidan Chiles’ 10-completion, two-interception performance in Michigan State’s season-opener was his “floor,” according to offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren, who has a plan to improve the quarterback’s performance going forward.

* Jonathan Smith had a name for Week 1 in college football: overreaction Saturday. He’s cautioning fans not to put too much stock into an opening performance that likely underwhelmed many.

* The run game and discipline are two of Matt Wenzel’s five things to watch in this week’s matchup.

Michigan State

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* Passing: Aidan Chiles 10-14, 114 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT

* Rushing: Kay’ron Lynch-Adams 9 rush, 101 yards, 1 TD

* Receiving: Michael Masunas 2 rec., 29 yards, 0 TD

* Tackles: Angelo Grose 12

* Sacks: Khris Bogle 1.5

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* Interceptions: Grose, Nikai Martinez 1

Maryland

* Passing: Billy Edwards Jr. 20-27, 311 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

* Rushing: Roman Hemby 14 rush, 66 yards, 1 TD

* Receiving: Tai Felton 7 rec., 178 yards, 2 TD

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* Tackles: Glendon Miller 6

* Sacks: None

* Interceptions: Ruben Hyppolite II, Miller 1

Friday, Sept. 6

Western Illinois at Indiana

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Duke at Northwestern

Saturday, Sept. 7

Texas at Michigan, noon (FOX)

Rhode Island at Minnesota, noon (Peacock)

Bowling Green at Penn State, noon (BTN)

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Akron at Rutgers, noon (BTN)

Iowa State at Iowa, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

Michigan State at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)

Eastern Michigan at Washington, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)

South Dakota at Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m. (FS1)

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Kansas at Illinois, 7 p.m. (FS1)

Colorado at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)

Western Michigan at Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. (BTN)

Boise State at Oregon, 10 p.m. (Peacock)





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Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland

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Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland


COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Michigan State has an excellent chance to make a strong statement this weekend that the rebuilding job under new head coach Jonathan Smith is ahead of schedule, if the Spartans can take down 8-point favorite Maryland on Saturday.
A Michigan State victory would be a strong statement within the football industry, but maybe not as strong from a fan perspective. I’m not sure Maryland’s football brand is as respected in the state of Michigan and regionally as it should be, for a program that has gone 8-5 in the past two seasons and defeated Auburn and North Carolina State in bowl games the past two years. 
Maryland is good. The Terrapins are coming off a 50-7 victory over a weak UConn team last week. Maryland’s offense looked very good against a weak, soft, conservative UConn defense. 
Michigan State’s defense was ahead of schedule last week against a mediocre Florida Atlantic offense. Michigan State’s offense was behind schedule, experiencing inconsistent accuracy and decision-making at the quarterback position, which was somewhat understandable considering it was sophomore Aidan Chiles’ first start as a college player. MSU’s running game also lacked consistency, especially in short yardage and in the red zone. 
The big news from Maryland last week in my opinion was the excellent play of new starting quarterback Billy Edwards. The 6-foot-3, 222-pound redshirt-junior had waited behind the outgoing, record-breaking Taulia Tagovailoa for three years. Tagovailoa left Maryland as the Big Ten’s all-time passing leader. He went undrafted and is now playing in the CFL. 
Edwards looked good last week. He’s strong in the pocket, is a physical ball carrier on designed runs or scrambles. He was accurate over the middle on intermediate routes, and seemed to do a good job processing coverages, although UConn’s coverages were simple, slow and soft. 
I saw this Michigan State vs Maryland game as a swing game on the schedule prior to the season. But considering how well Edwards and his receivers looked last week, and Michigan State’s sputtering start on offense, this game goes from being a swing game to uphill slog for the Spartans.



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Student shot in Joppatowne, Maryland high school

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Student shot in Joppatowne, Maryland high school


One teen shot another during a dispute in a Maryland high school bathroom Friday in what authorities called an isolated incident.

The victim, a 15-year-old student at Joppatowne High School, was in serious condition after being airlifted to a hospital, the Harford County Public Schools said in a news release, citing information it received from the county sheriff’s department.

A 16-year-old student whom police identified as the shooter fled shortly afterward but was caught minutes later nearby, according to the news release. Officials said no information would be released immediately about the weapon, which had not been recovered.

The state’s attorney has said the suspect will be charged, the release said, citing Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler.

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Shortly after the shooting, the sheriff’s office asked people to avoid the area, but emphasized that the confrontation was an “isolated incident, not an active shooter.” A parent-student reunification center was established at a nearby church. More than 100 personnel responded to the high school about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore, Gahler said.

The fight happened two days after a shooter whom authorities identified as a 14-year-old student killed four people at a high school outside Atlanta. Wednesday’s attack renewed debate about safe storage laws for guns and had parents wondering how to talk to their children about school shootings and trauma.



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