Ex-police chief who escaped from Arkansas prison pleads not guilty

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Ex-police chief who escaped from Arkansas prison pleads not guilty
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Ex-Arkansas police chief imprisoned for murder escapes prison
Grant Hardin, a former Gateway, Arkansas, police chief serving time for murder and rape, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock on May 25.
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A former police chief who was recaptured earlier this month has pleaded not guilty in connection to his high-profile escape from an Arkansas prison, where he was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape.
Grant Hardin, known as the "Devil in the Ozarks," made his first court appearance through a video call on June 17, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to second-degree escape.
During the hearing, Hardin, 56, was found indigent, and a public defender was assigned to his case, court records show. A pretrial hearing was scheduled for Oct. 21, and a jury trial was set to take place from Nov. 5 to Nov. 7.
On June 6, Hardin was captured just a mile-and-a-half west of the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock, Arkansas, according to state Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion. He escaped the facility on May 25 by disguising himself as a corrections officer.
The search for Hardin, which lasted about 12 days, was challenged by the mountainous and rough terrain in the Ozark Mountains. After his capture, Hardin was transferred to the Varner Unit, a maximum security prison about 75 miles southeast of Little Rock.
Hardin, a former police chief in Gateway, a small town near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving decades-long sentences for murder and rape. He gained notoriety after becoming the subject of "Devil in the Ozarks," a 2023 TV documentary about his crimes.
Hardin's escape remains under investigation, according to authorities. The escape followed the May 16 jailbreak of 10 inmates in New Orleans, which sparked fear and anger among the community and prompted calls for accountability. Eight of those escapees have since been captured while at least 16 accomplices have been arrested.
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Who is Grant Hardin?
Between 1990 and 2016, Hardin had bounced around police departments, USA TODAY previously reported. He then became the chief of police in Gateway in January 2016.
He resigned from his position in April 2016 and was later hired at the Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center in Fayetteville, where he worked until his arrest.
In 2017, Hardin pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the shooting and killing of Gateway water department employee James Appleton, according to court records. The fatal shooting had occurred in February of the same year. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder.
Following his murder conviction, a DNA test connected Hardin to the 1997 rape of a school teacher in nearby Rogers, Arkansas, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case. Court records showed that Hardin pleaded guilty to two counts of rape in 2019 and was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison for each count consecutively.
Shortly before 3 p.m. local time on May 25, Hardin escaped the Calico Rock prison. He had disguised himself as a corrections officer and walked to an exit gate, according to court records.
He then tricked a real officer into opening the gate, allowing him to leave the medium-security facility on foot, court records said.
Hardin's escape sparked a widespread manhunt that involved hundreds of local, state, and federal law enforcement personnel, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. The FBI had offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his arrest.
On June 6, Hardin was found just west of the Calico Rock prison, Champion said. In a photo of his arrest, Hardin was seen sitting on the ground in a vegetated area with his hands behind his back in a baseball cap, a dirty T-shirt, and pants.
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Authorities probing into escape, 12-day evasion
Authorities are still investigating how Hardin eluded law enforcement for about 12 days. Champion told NBC News that authorities do not believe that he had assistance from inside the prison or on the outside.
In an interview with The New York Times, Champion said authorities believe Hardin may have used his experience in the Calico Rock prison's kitchen to help plan and carry out his escape. He added that Hardin may have used his kitchen assignment to observe staff movements, access restricted areas, and obtain materials for his disguise, the newspaper reported.
Authorities also believe Hardin had spent months preparing for escape, which may include watching the prison's routines from inside the facility, according to The Times.
"This wasn't something he came up with that Sunday morning when he woke up," Champion told The Times. "This was well thought out and was something he had been planning for a while."
The Arkansas Department of Corrections did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on June 17.
Contributing: Michael Loria, Jeanine Santucci, and James Powel, USA TODAY