'Devil in the Ozarks': FBI offers $20K reward for capture of former Arkansas police chief on the run
Print Close
By Audrey Conklin
Published May 30, 2025
The FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the re-capture of a former Arkansas police chief serving time for murder and rape — dubbed "the Devil in the Ozarks" — who escaped on the afternoon of May 25.
Former Gateway Police Department Chief Grant Hardin, 56, escaped from the North Central Unit, a medium-security prison, that Sunday afternoon in Calico Rock , according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC).
The FBI said Hardin has ties to Garfield, Eureka Springs, Holiday Island and Huntsville.
"The FBI's Little Rock Field Office is assisting the U.S. Marshal Service, the Arkansas Department of Corrections, and the Arkansas State Police with the search for and apprehension of Grant Matthew Hardin," reads an FBI wanted poster.
TEXAS ESCAPED INMATE CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS AFTER PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL BREAK
Former FBI agent Rob D'Amico told "Fox & Friends" Friday morning that Hardin's past as a police chief may give him a unique advantage on the run.
"I think it makes it a lot more challenging. He knows how they do it. He knows what they look for, he knows how they follow leads. He knows how they do surveillance," D'Amico said.
'DEVIL IN THE OZARKS' WHO ESCAPED PRISON LIKELY STILL IN ARKANSAS AREA: OFFICIALS
The former FBI agent noted that there are likely many unmanned, unlocked cabins and sheds in wooded areas around Stone County, which is located East of the Ozark Mountains.
ADC Communications Director Rand Champion said during a Wednesday news conference that authorities are fairly confident in the route they believe Hardin took when he escaped prison and his current location in the region.
MANHUNT UNDERWAY AFTER DISGRACED FORMER POLICE CHIEF CONVICTED OF MURDER, RAPE ESCAPES ARKANSAS PRISON
"Based on the information that we have and the experience of our teams, they feel fairly confident that he is still fairly close to this region," Champion said, noting that "all it takes is one vehicle" for Hardin to use to travel elsewhere, though officials have established a perimeter around the area of Stone County.
"As of this time, they are still very confident that he is in the area," Champion said.
MASSIVE JAIL BREAK IN NEW ORLEANS 'IMPOSSIBLE' WITHOUT STAFF INVOLVEMENT, SAYS EX-FBI FUGITIVE HUNTER
Champion said the public should assume Hardin is "a very dangerous individual," and there is a risk he may commit more crimes while he is on the run.
It took less than 30 minutes for prison officials to notice that Hardin had disappeared from prison. Photos that the Stone County Sheriff's Office posted to social media show Hardin wearing an ADC-style uniform during his escape through a sally port, though Champion said the uniform he was wearing was not an official uniform.
LOUISIANA AG CONFIDENT REMAINING JAILBREAK FUGITIVES WILL BE CAPTURED AFTER OFFICIALS MAKE 14TH ARREST
Hardin was sentenced to 30 years for murder plus additional time for rape.
He pleaded guilty to the 2017 murder of James Appleton, 59, a city water employee who was found shot in the face inside his work truck, KNWA reported. While Hardin was being booked into the state prison around that time, officials submitted his DNA sample into a database. His DNA ended up linking him to the rape cold case of a teacher in 1997, the outlet reported.
Hardin ended up pleading guilty in that case in 2019, according to KNWA.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The former police chief's escape came two days after 10 prisoners escaped a correctional facility in New Orleans, eight of whom have since been re-captured while two remain at large.
Hardin is described as a 6 ft. white male, weighing approximately 259 pounds. The FBI is asking tipsters to call 1-800-CALL-FBI with any information concerning the escapee.
Fox News' Stepheny Price and Louis Casiano contributed to this report. Print Close
URL
https://www.foxnews.com/us/devil-ozarks-fbi-offers-reward-capture-former-arkansas-police-chief-run
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
18 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Logan Lunceford gets two big outs in the 9th as Wake Forest outlasts Miami (Ohio) 14-13
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Freshman Luke Costello had two home runs and five RBIs, Logan Lunceford got two big outs in the ninth inning and Wake Forest held off a late rally by Miami (Ohio) for a 14-13 victory on Saturday in the Knoxville Regional. Wake Forest (37-21) will play either No. 14 national seed Tennessee or Cincinnati in an elimination game on Sunday. The first regional appearance for Miami (35-23) since 2005 came to an end. Joe Ariola came on with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh and walked two as Miami got within 13-9. Haiden Leffew entered and got out of the inning with a strikeout. Wake Forest DH Kade Lewis lined a shot off the left-field wall to score Marek Houston from first to extend the lead to 14-9 in the eighth. It was Lewis' 25th multi-hit game of the season. Leffew allowed two quick runs in the ninth before Lunceford entered with the bases loaded. Blake Buzzeo singled on the first pitch and the left fielder misplayed it allowing two to score. Lunceford got a pop up and a strikeout to end it for his first save of the season. Brian Smiley, the MAC Baseball Coach of the Year, was ejected in the ninth inning before his team scored four runs in the bottom half. ___ AP sports:
Bloomberg
19 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
White House Prepares to Ease Rules for Big Banks, Politico Says
The Trump administration is preparing to ease rules imposed on the largest US banks following the 2008 financial crisis, Politico said, citing people with knowledge of the discussions. Regulators are close to completing a proposal that would reduce the size of the capital cushion that the biggest lenders must maintain to absorb potential losses and remain solvent in periods of economic stress, Politico reported Saturday.
Washington Post
21 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Ben Brown stars as the Cubs blank the Reds 2-0 for a 1-hit shutout
CHICAGO — Drew Pomeranz, Ben Brown, Brad Keller and Daniel Palencia combined on a one-hitter, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 on Saturday. Chicago used Pomeranz as an opener in front of Brown, and the strategy worked on a cool, blustery afternoon at Wrigley Field. Pomeranz pitched a 1-2-3 first before Brown struck out nine in six dominant innings for the NL Central leaders.
