The 'Devil in the Ozarks' donned a makeshift uniform and walked out of prison — then went on the run

Australia Broadcast Center

14-06-2025

It appeared to be a relatively routine moment captured outside an Arkansas prison.
An older man, dressed in a black uniform, black cap and a tactical vest pushes a heavy cart out of the front gate and across the bitumen.
No one stops him. An officer monitoring the gate opens it, and he continues on his way. The day continues as normal.
Except for one thing — the man seen in the grainy surveillance camera photo is not a prison guard.
He's a convicted rapist, murderer and disgraced police chief dubbed the "Devil in the Ozarks", meant to be serving a decades-long sentence.
The photo marks the beginning of his 12 days on the run.
For decades, Grant Hardin hid in plain sight.
The now-56-year-old had worked on and off as a police officer for most of his life,
From 1990 to 1991 he worked in Fayetteville, Arkansas, before being fired from the department after just nine months.
In his termination letter, it was noted he was 'indecisive' in stressful situations and had a 'tendency to not accept constructive criticism', according to local outlet 40/29 News.
According to a former police sergeant, Hardin had failed key parts of the department's training program.
'The reports coming in from the [training officer] were not complimentary in Hardin's favour,' former sergeant Mark Hanna told 40/29 News.
'This guy [was] using police training because he doesn't want to be a good cop … he's wanting to be a good criminal.
'He's a true chameleon.'
Hardin would go on to resign from police departments in Huntsville and Eureka Springs, where one former police chief noted Hardin allegedly used excessive force during arrests.
Between 2008 and 2012 he was twice elected constable for Benton County.
He served as police chief in the town of Gateway for four months in 2016.
A Missouri Southern State University Outlet told media Hardin had attended classes on criminal justice and law enforcement between 2016 and 2017.
By February 2017, he was working as a corrections officer at Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Centre in Fayetteville.
It was then that he committed his first murder.
On February 23, 2017, 59-year-old James Appleton pulled over to the side of the road in Gateway, on the phone with his brother-in-law.
Resident John Bray was driving by when he saw Mr Appleton's pick-up and a white Chevrolet Malibu both parked by Gann Ridge Road.
The Malibu's driver waved him on, Mr Bray said.
'I heard what I thought was someone had fired a rifle,' Mr Bray said later.
Hardin has never given a reason as to why he shot and killed James Appleton that day.
After being identified as the driver of the Malibu and charged with the killing, he ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
But it would not be the last time Hardin would face the court room.
When he was booked into the Arkansas Department of Corrections to begin his sentence, police took a DNA sample.
The DNA came up a match for a decades-old cold case — the rape of a schoolteacher in the town of Rogers in 1997.
On November 9, 1997, several hundred people were attending a church service at Frank Tillery Elementary School.
The teacher, Amy Harrison, told police she went back to her classroom to clean up and organise lesson plans that morning.
She said she left the classroom to go to the bathroom when she was confronted by a man in a stocking cap and sunglasses, carrying a pistol.
Though she was able to give a description of her attacker, the case was never solved.
In February 2019, the DNA match and subsequent investigation led to Hardin pleading guilty to raping Ms Harrison, who chose to publicly identify herself.
He was sentenced to another 50 years in prison on top of his already decades-long sentence.
Gateway Mayor Cheryl Tillman — the sister of murder victim James Appleton — attended court proceedings for both cases.
Asked to describe the man responsible for her brother's death, she told media: "He is no good for society.
Despite a collective sigh of relief among members of the Arkansas community, it would only be a few short years before Hardin would again be making headlines.
Hardin had been housed in a maximum-security wing of the Calico Rock prison when he donned his makeshift uniform and walked out on May 25.
Authorities have questioned whether a role working in the prison's kitchen had given him access to areas of the facility or tools which could have helped in his escape.
As the hours passed, sightings started to come in — some from neighbouring counties and areas further south in Arkansas.
Ms Tillman told media the escape left her "uneasy".
"It was deja vu hitting all over again," she said, but said she was not entirely surprised.
"It sounds like he was given free reign down there."
Canine units, drones and officers from several different agencies began combing the wilderness surrounding the prison.
Drivers were stopped on the motorways so their cars could be searched.
But extreme weather conditions and Hardin's law enforcement background made it "trickier" for officers, according to Corrections Department spokesperson Rand Champion.
A bloodhound tasked with tracking Hardin's scent followed him for less than 400 metres before heavy rain washed away the trail.
"We've passed the 72-hour mark [and] since that time there's been a collective effort, state, federal, local," Mr Champion said.
"Any and all leads we are getting have been followed up on.
"One of the challenges that we have for this area is that it's very hilly, it's very rocky, there's a lot of places where it's very narrow to get [in and out]."
A criminal complaint said Hardin could be "hiding in caves or rugged terrain" in the Ozarks.
After almost a week of searching, an FBI reward for any information leading to Hardin's arrest was raised from $US10,000 ($15,415) to $US20,000 ($30,830).
They also released an "updated" photo showing what Hardin "may look like" after nine days on the run — his prison mug shot edited to feature a salt and pepper beard.
Residents in the area were urged to "stay vigilant", to lock their front doors and cars, and to report "any suspicious activity".
"Public awareness and cooperation are crucial in efforts like this," Izard County Sheriff Charley Melton said.
Hardin was recaptured just 2.4 kilometres from the prison gate he had first walked out of.
After 12 days on the run, he was tackled by officers near Moccasin Creek, an area Rand Champion said they had struggled to search earlier.
"The direction he went, specifically around Moccasin Creek, saw high water due to the abundance of rain in the last few weeks," Mr Champion said.
"[This] more than likely limited his options to get around the area."
Residents in the nearby town of Calico Rock told media they thought Hardin would be "long gone".
The investigation into just how Hardin managed to escape a maximum security prison is ongoing.
Prison chief Dexter Payne told the Arkansas Board of Corrections it was the first time in 35 years a prisoner had escaped.
He said the escape was not a "policy issue" but a "personnel issue", referring to the officer who had opened the gate.
"The thing [the gate guard] should have done is, make sure who it was," Mr Payne said.
It was not clear whether any disciplinary action might be taken.
For Cheryl Tillman, each passing day before Hardin's capture meant looking over her shoulder.
"It was very hard to live day to day because you were always having to watch your back, turn around to see if somebody was behind you," she said.
Hardin has since been transferred into a super-max facility, the Varner Unit, known for housing high-risk inmates.
Benton County Prosecutor Bryan Sexton said Hardin's recapture meant "closure" for his victims.
"By reputation, Varner is the most secure prison in the Arkansas system," he told local news outlet KY3.
"I think that all things considering, putting him in the most secure facility we can is probably a wise thing to do."