‘Devil in the Ozarks' Grant Hardin captured by Border Patrol team
(NewsNation) — A special tactical unit of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is being credited with helping capture fugitive Grant Hardin, the so-called 'Devil in the Ozarks' who escaped from an Arkansas prison May 25.
Multiple sources tell NewsNation correspondent Ali Bradley that three agents from the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, or BORTAC, apprehended Hardin on Friday. BORTAC, which is based out of El Paso, Texas, has members deployed throughout the country.
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Federal officials said BORTAC agents out of the Rio Grande Valley Sector had been assigned to search for Hardin. Details were still emerging about Hardin's capture, which was announced Friday by the Stone County, Arkansas, Sheriff's Office.
CBP said BORTAC agents have 'advanced search capabilities' and extensive training in navigating complex terrain such as the region into which Hardin disappeared. Chief Border Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez said the unit's 'unique capabilities and training are well-suited for the demands of this critical mission.'
The BORTAC team is often called in when all other options for search assistance have been exhausted, federal officials said
BORTAC agents were also called into action when reports emerged of an active shooter at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in 2022.
Texas Monthly reported at the time that BORTAC agents were investigating stash houses on the border just west of Uvalde when agents were dispatched to the school where the shooting took place. BORTAC agents were later credited with fatally shooting the suspect in the high-profile school shooting.
The presence of border agents caused some to question why federal immigration agents were involved, but agency officials told the outlet that agents are routinely present in Uvalde, which is located about 80 miles from northern Mexico.
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BORTAC was also involved in the 2023 capture of Danelo Cavalcante, who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison and was captured after a two-week manhunt. Cavalcante, a convicted murderer, was located as part of a multi-unit search in which officers were able to surround him in a wooded area of the state without his knowledge.
The specialized Border Patrol team was also called in to assist with another jailbreak at a maximum-security prison in New York in 2015. Agents shot and killed one of the escaped inmates, Richard Matt. In that operation, BORTAC agents swooped into a wooded area by helicopter and fatally shot Matt after he reportedly pointed a shotgun at agents, NBC News reported.
Agents were also dispatched to the Los Angeles riots in 1992, in which they assisted local police officers in dealing with the civil unrest that followed the police-involved beating of Rodney King.
BORTAC agents are also sometimes assigned to provide security assistance at high-profile events like the Super Bowl, to assist with response to natural disasters and to assist with immigration operations in sanctuary cities, according to reports.
BORTAC was created in 1984 to serve as a civil disobedience function to respond to riots at legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service detention centers, CBP officials said. The tactical team was quickly shifted to assist with high-risk warrant service, intelligence and reconnaissance missions and well as foreign law enforcement.
The training for BORTAC agents is designed to mirror aspects of the U.S. Special Operations Forces, CBP officials said. Agents are put through training that can often last more than a month, which involves physical testing and pistol qualification, as well as swimming, treading water and drown-proofing.
Agents who pass the physical portion of the training are then put through weeks of intensive training in small unit tactics, defensive tactics and airmobile operations, the agency said.
The tactical training involves putting trainees through sleep deprivation and stress conditions training, as well as learning advanced techniques in weapons and tactics.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former Police Chief, Who Was Convicted of Rape and Murder, Found After 2 Weeks on the Run Following Prison Escape
Grant Hardin, the former police chief who was convicted of rape and murder, has been found after he escaped prison last month and was on the run for two weeks Hardin, also known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks,' was located 1.5 miles away from the prison he had been held at since his 2017 conviction The criminal was wearing 'a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement" during his escape, police saidA former police chief, who was convicted of rape and murder, has been found after he escaped prison and was on the run for two weeks. Grant Hardin, also known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks,' was captured by authorities 1.5 miles away from the Calico Rock North Central Unit in Arkansas, where he had been held since 2017, on Friday, June 6, the Izard County Sheriff's Office (ICSO) said in a news release shared on Facebook. Hardin's identity was confirmed through fingerprinting, per police. "We sincerely appreciate the continued support of the community for all law enforcement and Department of Corrections personnel involved in this operation," the ICSO said in a statement. According to a statement from the Arkansas Department of Corrections, Hardin was wearing 'a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement" during his escape. Officials confirmed he was not wearing a DOC uniform and said that all DOC-issued equipment had been accounted for. A prison officer in one of the guard towers opened a secure gate that allowed Hardin to freely exit, the Associated Press reported, citing a court document. Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the state prison system, told the outlet that the lack of verification of Hardin's credentials was a 'lapse" and would be investigated. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Hardin was the former police chief for the city of Gateway, Ark. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to murder after fatally shooting 59-year-old James Appleton, who worked in the city of Gateway's water department, CBS News, 5News and The New York Times reported, citing an affidavit. The legal document states that Hardin murdered Appleton in February 2017 after pulling up to his parked car and shooting him through the window while the victim was on the phone, according to the Times. A motive remains unknown. While serving his 30-year murder sentence, Hardin also pleaded guilty to the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers, Ark., 5 News reported. Hardin was tied to the long-unsolved crime after authorities linked him to DNA taken from the victim's clothes, authorities said, per the outlet. According to authorities, the victim said Hardin pointed a gun at her and raped her after she exited the school restroom, the Times reported. He was sentenced to 50 years for that crime, per the Associated Press. Reacting to Hardin's capture, Secretary of Corrections Lindsay Wallace said, 'I'm incredibly appreciative to all of our dedicated law enforcement agencies that spent countless hours, both day and night, sacrificing their time, utilizing their resources and lending their invaluable expertise to this search." She added, "To every one of our Department staff that assisted in this manhunt over the last 13 days, I give my heartfelt thank you for your immeasurable contributions to bring this search to a peaceful conclusion.' Read the original article on People
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
A 12-day search ends less than 2 miles away: How the 'Devil in the Ozarks' was caught
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ex-police chief Grant Hardin recaptured after escape from Arkansas prison
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