After a weeklong trial and more than six hours of deliberation, Osceola Deputy David Crawford was found not guilty Friday night of misdemeanor culpable negligence. Crawford had been accused of recklessly igniting a gasoline fire with a Taser during a February 2022 arrest at a Wawa gas station in Orlando, leaving 26-year-old Jean Barreto with burns on three-quarters of his body.
The trial centered on whether Crawford’s actions during the arrest caused the fire or if it was an accident. Prosecutors argued Crawford acted recklessly, pointing to his threats to Tase Barreto moments before the fire ignited. They also cited testimony that the fire resulted from Crawford pulling the trigger on a stun gun, igniting spilled gasoline.
The defense countered that the fire was accidental, highlighting alternative explanations like the heat from Barreto’s dirt bike engine and suggesting another deputy, Christopher Koffinas, mishandled the stun gun in violation of policy. Defense attorney Barber argued Crawford followed his training in attempting the arrest of Barreto, who had fled deputies after reports of bikers brandishing guns in Osceola County—a claim unsupported by evidence…