Marshals say ‘Devil in the Ozarks' who escaped Arkansas prison has likely fled state
A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Little Rock against Grant Hardin, who escaped prison last month, was released this week. Authorities have said Hardin escaped the Calico Rock prison in Arkansas by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform.
In the complaint, Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert J. Hammons cites two previously publicized unconfirmed sightings of Hardin — one in central Arkansas and another in southern Missouri.
'Based on this information, investigators believe Hardin has fled the state of Arkansas to avoid recapture,' the filing said. 'He has extensive knowledge of the Ozark Mountain region, where he is believed to be possibly hiding in caves or rugged terrain that he is familiar with.'
The complaint, first reported by The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, does not detail any other sightings of Hardin or evidence of him fleeing the state. Arkansas authorities have previously said they're focusing on north-central Arkansas and tips of sightings elsewhere so far have not panned out.
Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary 'Devil in the Ozarks.'
Hardin was housed in a maximum-security wing of the primarily medium security prison, formally known as the North Central Unit. Officials are investigating whether a job Hardin held in the kitchen helped in his escape, including whether it gave him access to materials he could have used to fashion his makeshift uniform.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections this week released a new photo rendering of Hardin, depicting what he may look like now.
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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Devil in Ozarks' planned prison escape for months, cited lax security in kitchen, report says
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A former police chief known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' spent months planning his escape from an Arkansas prison, and said lax security in the kitchen where he worked allowed the convicted murderer to gather the supplies he needed, an internal review by prison officials released Friday said. The Department of Corrections' critical incident review of Grant Hardin's May 25 escape from the Calico Rock prison provides the most detailed description so far of his planning and the issues that allowed him to walk out of the facility. Hardin was captured 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the Calico Rock prison on June 6. Authorities said he escaped by donning an outfit he designed to look like a law enforcement uniform. Hardin, who worked in the prison's kitchen, said he spent six months planning his escape and used black Sharpie markers and laundry he found lying around the kitchen to create the fake uniform, according to the report. Hardin fashioned a fake badge using the lid of a can. 'Hardin stated he would hide the clothes and other items he was going to need in the bottom of a trash can in the kitchen due to no one ever shaking it down,' the report says. Two prison employees have been fired for procedure violations that led to Hardin's escape. They include a kitchen employee who allowed Hardin on a back dock unsupervised and a tower guard who unlocked the back gate that Hardin walked through without confirming his identity. Several other employees have been suspended and one demoted, lawmakers were told this week. The kitchen's staff was 'very lax on security,' Hardin told investigators, allowing him to gather what he needed for his escape. Hardin said he didn't have any help from staff or other inmates. Hardin had constructed a ladder from wooden pallets in case he needed to scale the prison fence but didn't need it. '(Hardin) stated when he walked up to the gate, he just directed the officer to 'open the gate,' and he did,' the report says. After he escaped from the prison, Hardin survived on food he had smuggled out of the prison along with distilled water from his CPAP machine. Hardin also drank creek water and ate berries, bird eggs and ants. 'He said his plan was to hide in the woods for six months if need be and begin moving west out of the area,' the report says. Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway, near the Arkansas-Missouri border, is serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary 'Devil in the Ozarks.' The report is one of two reviews into Hardin's escape, which is also being investigated by the Arkansas State Police. A legislative subcommittee has also been holding hearings about the escape. Republican Rep. Howard Beaty, who co-chairs the Legislative Council's Charitable, Penal and Correctional Institutions Subcommittee, said the panel hoped to discuss both reports with officials at a hearing next month. Republican Sen. Ben Gilmore, who sits on the panel, said he didn't think the department's review took a thorough enough look at the systemic issues that enabled Hardin's escape. 'They have focused on the final failure instead of all of the things that led up to it,' he said. The report also cites confusion among corrections officials in the early stages of Hardin's escape about which law enforcement agencies had been notified, the report says. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. 'It is obvious there was a lot of confusion during the beginning stages of opening the command center and of notifications being made,' the report says. Hardin had been misclassified and shouldn't have been held at the primarily medium-security prison, according to the review. After he was captured, Hardin was moved to a maximum-security prison. He has pleaded not guilty to escape charges, and his trial is set for November. Hardin's custody classification hadn't been reviewed since October 2019, the report says. The Department of Corrections' review says officials had taken several steps since Hardin's escape, including removing the electric locks from the gates to prevent someone from walking out without an officer present. The report also calls for additional cameras after finding a blind spot on the dock Hardin used, and for any 'shakedown' searches for contraband to include mechanical rooms and side rooms.
Winnipeg Free Press
12-08-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Arkansas authorities say additional employees disciplined at prison where ex-police chief escaped
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Additional employees at an Arkansas prison have been disciplined for not following procedures after a convicted murderer known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' escaped earlier this summer, a state prison system official told lawmakers Monday. Arkansas Division of Correction Director Dexter Payne said several employees at the Calico Rock prison had been suspended and another demoted for allowing inmates to use an outdoor kitchen dock unsupervised. Payne did not specify how many employees had been suspended, and did not give their names. 'Those employees have also been disciplined for their actions,' Payne told members of the Legislative Council's Charitable, Penal and Correctional Institutions Subcommittee. The dock had played a key role in the May 25 escape of Grant Hardin from the prison, formally known as the North Central Unit. Two employees at the facility, including one who allowed Hardin on the dock unsupervised, had previously been fired in the weeks following his escape. Hardin held a job in the prison's kitchen. Hardin was captured 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the Calico Rock prison on June 6. Authorities said he escaped by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform. The outfit was crafted from an inmate uniform and a kitchen apron dyed black using a marker, while a soup can lid and a Bible cover were fashioned to look like a badge, corrections officials told the panel last month. The other employee who had been fired earlier had opened the gate that Hardin walked through without confirming his identity. Payne said corrections officials have nearly completed the report on their critical incident review of the escape. A report on the State Police's investigation into the escape has also been sent to the governor's office, the Department of Public Services said. Payne said the review also found that Hardin had been incorrectly classified as eligible to be housed at Calico Rock, which is primarily a medium-security facility. Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017. Payne said he didn't know why Hardin wasn't correctly classified. 'Without an override, he should not have been there,' Payne said. After he was captured, Hardin was taken to a maximum-security prison. Hardin has pleaded not guilty to an escape charge and is set to go on trial in November. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway, near the Arkansas-Missouri border, is serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary 'Devil in the Ozarks.' One change that has been made at the facility since the escape is an increase in searches outside the facility, Payne said. Officials have previously said Hardin fashioned a ladder out of wooden pallets that he kept on the dock. 'The back dock area was not searched enough, or they would have found he was hiding items on that back dock,' he said. Payne faced further pushback from lawmakers who said the escape points to a more systemic issue than two employees not doing their job. 'Yeah, people didn't do their job, but also there should be checks and balances to ensure that people do their job,' Republican Sen. Ben Gilmore said. 'Where are those checks and balances?'
Winnipeg Free Press
11-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Arkansas prison employees fired after ‘Devil in the Ozarks' escape
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Two employees at an Arkansas prison where an inmate known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' escaped have been fired for policy violations, corrections officials said Thursday as they faced questions from lawmakers who said the escape points to deeper problems. The head of the Arkansas Board of Corrections told state lawmakers the violations allowed Grant Hardin to escape from the Calico Rock prison wearing a makeshift law enforcement uniform on May 25. But officials have said there was no evidence employees knowingly assisted Hardin's escape. One of the fired employees had allowed Hardin onto an outside kitchen dock unsupervised and the other employee worked in a tower and had opened the gate Hardin walked through without confirming his identity, Chairman Benny Magness said. 'If either one of them would have been following policy, it wouldn't have happened,' Magness told members of the Legislative Council's charitable, penal, and correctional institutions subcommittee. Hardin was captured 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the Calico Rock prison on June 6. Authorities said he escaped by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform. Magness said the outfit was crafted from an inmate uniform and kitchen apron dyed black using a marker while a soup can lid and a Bible cover were fashioned to look like a badge. Lawmakers said the escape pointed to systemic problems beyond the two employees — including how Hardin was able to fashion the fake uniform without guards noticing. 'I think we've got major issues here that need to be dealt with,' said Republican Sen. Matt McKee, who co-chairs the legislative panel that oversees corrections. Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway, near the Arkansas-Missouri border, is serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary 'Devil in the Ozarks.' After his capture, Hardin was transferred to a maximum security prison in Varner, a small community about 65 miles (125 kilometers) southeast of Little Rock. Hardin has pleaded not guilty to an escape charge and is set to go on trial in November. Hardin held a job in the kitchen in the prison and had not had any disciplinary problems during his time there. In addition to the uniform, Hardin fashioned a ladder out of wooden pallets that were on the dock and also took peanut butter sandwiches from the prison to survive on after his escape, corrections officials told lawmakers Thursday. Hardin planned to use the ladder to scale the fence and escape if the gate wasn't opened for him, said Dexter Payne, director of the division of correction. 'There are a lot of things he did unnoticed and unaware,' Republican Sen. Ben Gilmore said during the hearing. 'I don't think you can blame just two people for that.' Members of the panel also said Hardin's escape points to the need to scrutinize a classification system that placed a convicted murderer in what's primarily a medium-security facility. Payne said a critical incident review of the escape planned later this month may determine if other employees will face firings, demotions or disciplinary actions. It also will determine what other policy changes may be needed, he said. 'There's nobody that's more embarrassed about it than me,' said Thomas Hurst, warden of the prison, formally called the North Central Unit. 'It's not good. We failed, and I understand it.'
