Escape of ex-police chief known as 'Devil in the Ozarks' has Arkansas residents on edge
As law officers search Arkansas' rugged Ozark Mountains for a former police chief and convicted killer who escaped prison this weekend, the sister of one of his victims is on edge.
Grant Hardin, the former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape and became known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks.'
Hardin escaped Sunday from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock by disguising himself and wearing a 'makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement,' state prison officials said in a statement.
'I don't think he will be taken alive,' said Cheryl Tillman, whose brother James Appleton was killed by Hardin in 2017. 'He won't go peacefully.'
Sheriff's deputies in multiple northern Arkansas counties have been working with state prison officials to follow leads and search the rugged terrain in the Ozarks, Izard County Sheriff Charley Melton said in an update late Monday.
'To the citizens of Izard County and surrounding counties, please stay vigilant, lock your house and vehicle doors and report any suspicious activity by calling 911 immediately,' Melton said. Other sheriffs were issuing similar warnings about Hardin, who was the focus of a 2023 documentary, 'Devil in the Ozarks.'
In an interview Tuesday, Tillman said she wasn't surprised when she heard that Hardin had escaped. But the news suddenly added fresh pain for her and other family members after dealing with the grief from the killing.
'He's just an evil man,' she said. 'He is no good for society.'
Hardin being on the run is also alarming to Tillman and other family members since they were witnesses in his court proceedings.
'We were there at his trial when all that went down, and he seen us there, he knows,' she said.
Hardin pleaded guilty in October 2017 to first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Appleton, 59. Appleton worked for the Gateway water department when he was shot in the head on Feb. 23, 2017, near Garfield. Police found Appleton's body inside a car. Investigators at the time did not release a motive for the killing.
Hardin, who was Gateway's police chief for about four months in early 2016, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He is also serving 50 years in prison for the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers north of Fayetteville.
Hardin had been held in Calico Rock since 2017. Tillman believes he had been planning his escape for a while.
'I'm sure it was in the makings for the eight years that he was there,' she said.
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San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Elite US Border Patrol team joins hunt for escaped Arkansas prisoner known as 'Devil in the Ozarks'
An elite and highly trained U.S. Border Patrol team has joined the search in the Ozark Mountains for Grant Hardin, an inmate known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' who escaped from an Arkansas prison nearly two weeks ago, federal authorities announced this week. The Border Patrol Tactical Team known as BORTAC is providing 'advanced search capabilities and operational support' in the hunt for Hardin, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. Its members are experienced in navigating complex terrain, the agency said. The Ozark Mountains region is known for its rocky and rugged landscape, thick forests and an extensive cave network. The team's unique training and capabilities are 'well-suited for the demands of this critical mission,' Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez said in announcing the deployment. Searchers have been using bloodhounds, officers on horseback, drones and helicopters in their hunt for Hardin since he escaped nearly two weeks ago, on May 25. A former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting for which he was serving a 30-year sentence. Hardin's DNA was matched to the 1997 rape of a teacher at an elementary school in Rogers, north of Fayetteville. He was sentenced to 50 years for that crime. Eventually, his notoriety led to a TV documentary, 'Devil in the Ozarks.' Rand Champion, a spokesman for the state prison system, said that someone should have checked Hardin's identity before he was allowed to leave, describing the lack of verification as a 'lapse' that's being investigated. A deputy U.S. Marshal has said in court papers that investigators theorize that he has likely fled Arkansas, but searchers are continuing to hunt for Hardin around the prison at Calico Rock. BORTAC was created in 1984. The way it selects and trains its members is designed to be similar to methods used by the U.S. military's Special Forces, Customs and Border Protection says in background materials on the unit. It conducts operations and training within the U.S. and in foreign countries. BORTAC members have also played roles in civil disturbances far from United States borders in recent years. They saw an expanded role in the summer of 2020, where they were deployed to Portland, Oregon, for massive protests over the police killing of George Floyd. In Portland, they worked with local law officers to guard the downtown area during large protests that went on for days. That was unusual, but not unprecedented, experts said. BORTAC members have protected emergency workers during natural disasters and were sent to Los Angeles during riots in the early 1990s after the beating of Rodney King, Michael Fisher, a former senior official with the agency and member of the unit, has said. The unit's role has expanded over the years to include searches for fugitives and even prison escapees. In September 2023, a dog named Yoda that is part of BORTAC ended a two-week manhunt for an escaped prisoner in Pennsylvania. Yoda, a Belgian Malinois, pursued Danilo Cavalcante as the fugitive scrambled through underbrush while armed with a rifle. Yoda bit the escapee on the forehead and then clenched his teeth into his thigh and held on, authorities said. Last month, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem described the unit's operations. Members 'don't just operate within their own agency, but also partner with other law enforcement agencies and meet needs around the country at a moment's notice,' Noem said in a House Homeland Security Committee hearing. "So their skill set is unique, their specialty training is needed, and in fact, it needs to be expanded,' she said.
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Elite US Border Patrol team joins hunt for escaped Arkansas prisoner known as 'Devil in the Ozarks'
An elite and highly trained U.S. Border Patrol team has joined the search in the Ozark Mountains for Grant Hardin, an inmate known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' who escaped from an Arkansas prison nearly two weeks ago, federal authorities announced this week. The Border Patrol Tactical Team known as BORTAC is providing 'advanced search capabilities and operational support' in the hunt for Hardin, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. Its members are experienced in navigating complex terrain, the agency said. The Ozark Mountains region is known for its rocky and rugged landscape, thick forests and an extensive cave network . The team's unique training and capabilities are 'well-suited for the demands of this critical mission,' Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez said in announcing the deployment. Searchers have been using bloodhounds, officers on horseback, drones and helicopters in their hunt for Hardin since he escaped nearly two weeks ago, on May 25. A former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting for which he was serving a 30-year sentence. Hardin's DNA was matched to the 1997 rape of a teacher at an elementary school in Rogers, north of Fayetteville. He was sentenced to 50 years for that crime. Eventually, his notoriety led to a TV documentary, 'Devil in the Ozarks.' Rand Champion, a spokesman for the state prison system, said that someone should have checked Hardin's identity before he was allowed to leave, describing the lack of verification as a 'lapse' that's being investigated. A deputy U.S. Marshal has said in court papers that investigators theorize that he has likely fled Arkansas , but searchers are continuing to hunt for Hardin around the prison at Calico Rock. BORTAC was created in 1984. The way it selects and trains its members is designed to be similar to methods used by the U.S. military's Special Forces, Customs and Border Protection says in background materials on the unit. It conducts operations and training within the U.S. and in foreign countries. BORTAC members have also played roles in civil disturbances far from United States borders in recent years. They saw an expanded role in the summer of 2020, where they were deployed to Portland, Oregon, for massive protests over the police killing of George Floyd . In Portland, they worked with local law officers to guard the downtown area during large protests that went on for days . That was unusual, but not unprecedented, experts said. BORTAC members have protected emergency workers during natural disasters and were sent to Los Angeles during riots in the early 1990s after the beating of Rodney King, Michael Fisher, a former senior official with the agency and member of the unit, has said. The unit's role has expanded over the years to include searches for fugitives and even prison escapees. In September 2023, a dog named Yoda that is part of BORTAC ended a two-week manhunt for an escaped prisoner in Pennsylvania. Yoda, a Belgian Malinois, pursued Danilo Cavalcante as the fugitive scrambled through underbrush while armed with a rifle. Yoda bit the escapee on the forehead and then clenched his teeth into his thigh and held on, authorities said. Last month, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem described the unit's operations. Members 'don't just operate within their own agency, but also partner with other law enforcement agencies and meet needs around the country at a moment's notice,' Noem said in a House Homeland Security Committee hearing. 'So their skill set is unique, their specialty training is needed, and in fact, it needs to be expanded,' she said.
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Elite US Border Patrol team joins hunt for escaped Arkansas prisoner known as ‘Devil in the Ozarks'
An elite and highly trained U.S. Border Patrol team has joined the search in the Ozark Mountains for Grant Hardin, an inmate known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' who escaped from an Arkansas prison nearly two weeks ago, federal authorities announced this week. The Border Patrol Tactical Team known as BORTAC is providing 'advanced search capabilities and operational support' in the hunt for Hardin, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. Its members are experienced in navigating complex terrain, the agency said. The Ozark Mountains region is known for its rocky and rugged landscape, thick forests and an extensive cave network . The team's unique training and capabilities are 'well-suited for the demands of this critical mission,' Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez said in announcing the deployment. Searchers have been using bloodhounds, officers on horseback, drones and helicopters in their hunt for Hardin since he escaped nearly two weeks ago, on May 25. A former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting for which he was serving a 30-year sentence. Hardin's DNA was matched to the 1997 rape of a teacher at an elementary school in Rogers, north of Fayetteville. He was sentenced to 50 years for that crime. Eventually, his notoriety led to a TV documentary, 'Devil in the Ozarks.' Rand Champion, a spokesman for the state prison system, said that someone should have checked Hardin's identity before he was allowed to leave, describing the lack of verification as a 'lapse' that's being investigated. A deputy U.S. Marshal has said in court papers that investigators theorize that he has likely fled Arkansas , but searchers are continuing to hunt for Hardin around the prison at Calico Rock. BORTAC was created in 1984. The way it selects and trains its members is designed to be similar to methods used by the U.S. military's Special Forces, Customs and Border Protection says in background materials on the unit. It conducts operations and training within the U.S. and in foreign countries. BORTAC members have also played roles in civil disturbances far from United States borders in recent years. They saw an expanded role in the summer of 2020, where they were deployed to Portland, Oregon, for massive protests over the police killing of George Floyd . In Portland, they worked with local law officers to guard the downtown area during large protests that went on for days . That was unusual, but not unprecedented, experts said. BORTAC members have protected emergency workers during natural disasters and were sent to Los Angeles during riots in the early 1990s after the beating of Rodney King, Michael Fisher, a former senior official with the agency and member of the unit, has said. The unit's role has expanded over the years to include searches for fugitives and even prison escapees. In September 2023, a dog named Yoda that is part of BORTAC ended a two-week manhunt for an escaped prisoner in Pennsylvania. Yoda, a Belgian Malinois, pursued Danilo Cavalcante as the fugitive scrambled through underbrush while armed with a rifle. Yoda bit the escapee on the forehead and then clenched his teeth into his thigh and held on, authorities said. Last month, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem described the unit's operations. Members 'don't just operate within their own agency, but also partner with other law enforcement agencies and meet needs around the country at a moment's notice,' Noem said in a House Homeland Security Committee hearing. 'So their skill set is unique, their specialty training is needed, and in fact, it needs to be expanded,' she said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
