Elite US Border Patrol team joins hunt for escaped Arkansas prisoner known as 'Devil in the Ozarks'
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.
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San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Arkansas authorities say additional employees disciplined at prison where ex-police chief escaped
FILE - This combo of images released by the Arkansas Department of Corrections shows the recapture of escaped inmate Grant Hardin, an ex-police chief and convicted killer, by Arkansas law enforcement officers and the U.S. Border Patrol, June 6, 2025, near Moccasin Creek in Izard County, about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of Calico Rock prison. in Calico Rock, Ark. (Arkansas Department of Corrections via AP, File) AP 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. End-of-Summer Sale! 25¢ for 3 months. Save on access. End-of-Summer Sale! 25¢ for 3 months. Save on access. ACT NOW 'Those employees have also been disciplined for their actions,' Payne told members of the Legislative Council's Charitable, Penal and Correctional Institutions Subcommittee. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 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. Advertisement Article continues below this ad '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. 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?'
Newsweek
01-08-2025
- Newsweek
Trump Admin Sets New Illegal Border Crossing Record
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Newsweek
01-08-2025
- Newsweek
Trump Supporter With Green Card Returns to US After Being Blocked for Weeks
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