Caves complicate search for escaped Arkansas inmate

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GATEWAY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The manhunt for escaped Arkansas inmate Grant Hardin takes officials through the eroded plateaus of the Ozarks — and may extend to the area's many caves.
The search for Hardin continues after his escape from North Central Unit in Calico Rock on May 25, with authorities using dogs, drones and helicopters. The topography of the Ozarks already complicates efforts, but officials remain alert to potential threats that may lie beneath the surface.
'Caves have definitely been a source of concern and a point of emphasis,' Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion told the Associated Press.
The Natural State is home to close to 2,000 documented caves. However, most of these caves remain absent from public maps.
'Cave locations tend to be fairly well-guarded,' University of Arkansas geosciences professor Matt Covington told KNWA/FOX24. 'Most landowners don't want the locations of their caves publicly available… Cavers also tend to be pretty secretive when it comes to locations, because caves are a fragile environment that is easy to damage if you don't have the appropriate skill set.'
Former Washington Co. Sheriff recalls time working as Grant Hardin's Lieutenant
The specific locations of significant caves fall under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). However, whether access to confidential cave information is granted or denied is entirely up to the authorized officer's discretion and cannot be appealed or reviewed administratively.
Covington said the graphic below—created by Tennessee geographer Chuck Sutherland using data from the Association for Arkansas Cave Studies Inc.—are one of the 'best' visualizations currently available to the public.
To view Sutherland's other graphics, including those for neighboring states, click here.
Many caves in Arkansas, aside from the well-known ones, have small, hard-to-find entrances.
With public cave maps virtually non-existent and knowledge of the caves limited to professionals, landowners and the government, that leaves one last group who knows their locations: locals like Hardin.
Pea Ridge cafe owner Darla Nix told the AP that Hardin 'knows where the caves are.' Nix also described Hardin as a 'survivor' and recalls him being 'very, very smart.'
One FBI archive article details how the terrain of western North Carolina, comparable to that of northern Arkansas, allowed bomber Eric Rudolph to successfully hide for years.
Rudolph, an experienced outdoorsman, evaded capture by using remote cabins and hidden caves during a five-year manhunt that ended in 2003, according to the archive.
Cave expert Michael Ray Taylor told the AP that while it's possible to hide in these caves for long periods, the need to leave for supplies increases the risk of discovery.
Newton County: 299
Stone County: 138
Madison County: 138
Carroll County: 135
Washington County: 134
Benton County: 112
Searcy County: 89
Marion County: 78
Boone County: 69
Izard County: 68
Crawford County: 62
Baxter County: 35
Independance County: 35
Sharp County: 10
Lawerence County: 7
Pope County: 6
Randolph County: 5
Fulton County: 3
Van Buren County: 1The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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