Ex-Police Chief Killed a Man and Raped a Teacher — and Just Escaped Prison in a Cop Uniform
A manhunt is underway for Grant Hardin, 56, who escaped from a prison in Calico Rock, Ark. around 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, May 25
Hardin, a former police chief, was serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder and an additional sentence for rape
The escapee's whereabouts remain unknown as of 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, officials saidArkansas officials are searching for a former police chief convicted of murder and rape who escaped from prison in a makeshift law enforcement uniform.
Grant Hardin, 56, who has been held at North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Ark., since 2017, escaped from the prison around 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, according to a statement from the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
Hardin was serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder and an additional sentence for rape, per the statement. He was the former police chief for the city of Gateway. Inmate records show Hardin is 6 feet tall and weighs 259 lbs.
While officials are investigating what led to Hardin's escape, the DOC said in a Sunday night update that he was wearing 'a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement.' Officials confirmed he was not wearing a DOC uniform and said that all DOC-issued equipment had been accounted for.
The Stone County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that Hardin should be considered 'extremely dangerous and should not be approached.'
Hardin pleaded guilty in 2017 to murder after fatally shooting 59-year-old James Appleton, who worked in the city of Gateway's water department, according to an affidavit cited by CBS News, 5News, and The New York Times.
The affidavit states 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, the Times reported. A motive remains unknown.
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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.
Hardin's whereabouts remain unknown as of 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. Authorities have yet to provide an update on the morning of Monday, May 26. Anyone with information on Hardin is asked to call 911 immediately.
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Miami Herald
6 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Ex-police chief Grant Hardin recaptured after escape from Arkansas prison
A former Arkansas police chief who escaped from a prison 12 days ago was apprehended about a mile and half from where he was incarcerated in northwest Arkansas. Grant Hardin, known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks,' was caught around 3 p.m. local time Friday by Arkansas law enforcement officers and the U.S. Border Patrol, according to Arkansas Department of Corrections. Hardin, 56, was an inmate at the North Central Unit in Calico Rock in Izard County for murder and rape. Calico Rock is 126 miles north of Little Rock. Tracking dogs picked up Hardin's scent west of the prison near Moccasin Creek in Izard County, the state agency said. Hardin was brought back to the North Central Unit where he was identified using his fingerprint and for a physical exam before he was moved to the Varner SuperMax Unit in Gould, Arkansas, Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion told CNN. After a dayslong manhunt that crossed several states, Champion said Hardin would be interviewed to learn more about his escape and nearly two weeks on the run. 'This was a great joint operation by a number of agencies, and I'm so thankful for their tireless efforts,' Dexter Payne, director of the Division of Correction in Arkansas' Department of Corrections, said in an agency press release. 'The Arkansas State Police, U.S. Marshals, FBI, Border Patrol, Game and Fish, all the state and local agencies, along with the dedication of our Department employees, all played an indispensable role and I express my extreme gratitude.' Hardin escaped from the prison at approximately 2:55 p.m. on May 25. The agency said he 'was wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement' when he escaped, but was not wearing an actual guard uniform and all DOC-issued equipment was accounted for. Hardin is the former chief of police for the city of Gateway in Benton County, which had a population of 444 people in 2023. He also was a police officer, county constable and corrections officer. Gateway, which is near the Missouri border, is 129 miles west of Calico Rock. Since 2017, he was in the North Central Unit serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder, and 25 years for each rape count. He pleaded guilty to the murder of James Appleton, 59, a city water employee found shot in the face inside his work truck in October 2017, KNWA reported. Hardin's DNA linked him to the 1997 rape of a teacher, the TV station reported. Amy Harrison, a teacher at Frank Tillery Elementary in Rogers, was ambushed while preparing lesson plans at the school when she was ambushed and assaulted by a man with a gun. 'He's a sociopath,' former Benton County prosecutor Nathan Smith told Arkansas ABC affiliate KHBS/KHOG. 'Prison's not full of people who are all bad. It's full of a lot of people who just do bad things. Grant's different.' The FBI offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his arrest. 'Arkansans can breathe a sigh of relief because violent criminal Grant Hardin is now in custody,' Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders posted on X. 'I am grateful for all law enforcement who contributed to his capture and give special thanks to the Trump administration and Secretary Kristi Noem, who sent a team from Border Patrol that was instrumental in tracking and apprehending Hardin.' Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
U.S. Border Patrol posts new photos of Hardin's arrest
CALICO ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — New photos from the U.S. Border Patrol show Grant Hardin shortly after being captured less than two miles from North Central Unit after a 12-day manhunt. Officials say Hardin stayed close to the prison, likely limited by high water around Moccasin Creek, which had previously hampered search efforts. He was captured just 1.5 miles from the facility on Friday, June 6 after dogs picked up his scent. U.S. Border Control assisted in Hardin's capture and posted photos of his arrest on Facebook. Officials with the Arkansas Department of Corrections have confirmed that Hardin will be transported to Varner Supermax Unit in Gould, the state's most secure prison. After his arrest, Hardin was briefly returned to the North Central Unit for identification and medical checks before being transferred to the higher-security facility, where he arrived the evening of June 7. Hardin will be interviewed in the coming days, according to Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion. Authorities say further updates will be shared if new details emerge. HISTORY: Grant Hardin's 12-day escape joins the state's most infamous escapes 'Arkansans can breathe a sigh of relief because violent criminal Grant Hardin is now in custody,' Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement via X. 'I am grateful for local, state and federal law enforcement and give special thanks to the Trump admin and [Secretary Kristi Noem], for sending Border Patrol who helped track and apprehend Hardin.' Hardin, a convicted murderer and rapist who once served as police chief in Gateway, gained the nickname 'Devil in the Ozarks' following a documentary detailing his crimes. He escaped North Central Unit in Calico Rock on May 25. Since his escape, Hardin has been charged federally and in Izard County. A $25,000 reward was offered, but it is unclear if anyone will receive 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Arkansas mayor, murder victim's sister reacts to Grant Hardin's escape
The town where Arkansas prison escapee and convicted murderer Grant Hardin once served as police chief remains on edge, according to its mayor who is also the sister of Hardin's victim. "Anxiety is still high," Cheryl Tillman, the mayor of Gateway, Arkansas, told USA TODAY in an interview May 28. "I think everybody's still on alert, being vigilant, doing every precaution that they can." Hardin, 56, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock on May 25, wearing a "makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement," according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Hardin had been serving time for the 2017 murder of James Appleton, Tillman's brother, in Gateway and the 1997 rape of a school teacher in nearby Rogers. He was sentenced to 80 years on the combined convictions, according to court records. Tillman described Hardin, who served as Gateway's police chief while Tillman was on the city council in 2016, as "very arrogant" and "angry." "He's an evil person," Tillman said. Hardin remains at large as of Wednesday night, with the FBI, Department of Corrections, Arkansas State Police and local police were working to find Hardin, officials said earlier in the day. Hardin pleaded guilty to in 2017 to murder in the first degree for shooting and killing Appleton in February of the same year, according to court records. Appleton's brother-in-law and Cheryl's husband, Andrew Tillman, told Benton County Sheriff's investigators that he was on the phone with Appleton when he was shot, according to a probable cause affidavit. Andrew was the Gateway's mayor at the time of the shooting. Cheryl described Appleton as a "very good brother" with a strong civic sense who obtained a license to work for the Gateway Rural Water Authority when asked by his brother-in-law. "Everybody in this town knew James. They knew that they could call James if they needed help on anything," Tillman said. Tillman said that learning of Hardin's escape brought back memories of the murder. "Everything was happening all over again. From the time he shot my brother and the time we had to go to court with him," Tillman said. The 1997 rape was the focus of a 2023 documentary titled "Devil in the Ozarks," for which Tillman was interviewed. She said that the interview was "tough to do." "We've since been in touch with the subjects of that film and law enforcement and are praying for Hardin's immediate capture in the name of justice and the victims and their families' peace of mind," Ari Mark, one of the executive producers of the documentary, told USA TODAY in a statement May 28. Tillman emphasized the need for residents of Gateway, a place she described as "a very quiet town" where "everybody knows everybody," to remain vigilant while Hardin remained at-large. "Lock their doors. If they need to, load their guns," Tillman said. "Whatever they need to do, just stay vigilant and watch your backs." Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Michael Loria, Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arkansas mayor: Town on edge after Grant Hardin's escape
