Osceola deputy David Crawford acquitted of negligence

Source: Mohd Azrin / Getty

In 2023, Osceola County Sheriff’s deputy named David Crawford set then 26-year-old Jean Barretto on fire following a brief chase. Crawford believed that Barretto matched the description of a cyclist who allegedly pointed a gun at a passing motorist. When Crawford attempted to stop Barretto, he fled but was eventually caught at a gas station. Crawford discharged his taser as Barretto was standing near a gas pump, which started a massive and intense fire.

When all was said and done, Barretto racked up $7 million worth of hospital bills, and 75% of the body was covered in third-degree burns; Crawford was subsequently charged with negligence. However, according to new reporting from WESH, it doesn’t appear that justice will be served.

Crawford was acquitted of his criminal charges this past Friday after a weeklong trial. The defense argued that he was just doing his job to protect the community from Barretto’s allegedly reckless riding. State’s prosecutors argued that Crawford escalated the station and caused more chaos than necessary considering the situation.

“There is no need for one man to run, like a cowboy, and tackle someone off a motorcycle filling up with gas. The end result of this was foreseeable from the fact that he walked across that parking lot,” a state prosecutor said during closing arguments.

Despite the deputy’s insistence that Barretto was a threat to society, no firearm was recovered from his person or from the scene.

NWA was right.