A former police chief in a Maryland town who was branded a serial arsonist by law enforcement and convicted of a nine-year string of fires targeting his enemies was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison.

David Crawford, 71, Laurel’s police chief until he resigned in 2010, was arrested in 2021. He was charged with 24 counts of attempted first degree and negligent homicide and dozens of counts of arson.

At his trial in March, Mr. Crawford was found guilty of eight counts of attempted murder, three counts of arson and more. categories.

Given his age, “he’s never going to breathe free again, and we think he deserves that,” Howard County District Attorney Rich Gibson said in a news release yesterday.

Mr. Crawford was sentenced to two life sentences plus 75 years in prison.

According to US authorities, all the arson victims had conflicts with the former police chief. A list of his targets was found during a search of his home in January 2021.

No one lost their life in the fires, but some of the victims lost their homes and/or belongings.

Mr. Crawford’s attorney, Robert Bonsib, plans to appeal and said his client “maintains his innocence,” according to the Washington Post.

Among the targets were a former Laurel municipal official, three former law enforcement officials, including his predecessor as the city’s police chief, two of his former doctors — as well as two of his relatives, authorities said.