Arkansas inmate escapee Grant Hardin captured, authorities confirm
CALICO ROCK, Ark. – Police in Mountain View and the Stone County Sheriff's Office confirmed that escaped inmate Grant Hardin has been captured.
According to a social media post by the Mountain View Police, Hardin was captured by authorities on Friday afternoon.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections said Hardin escaped from the Arkansas Department of Corrections North Central Unit in Calico Rock at approximately 2:25 p.m. on May 25.
Arkansas Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magness confirmed that Hardin was captured 'about a mile' from the North Central Unit in the woods.
'I'm so proud of our Department staff and all the local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for being steadfast as they always are,' Magness said. 'I'm appreciative of them dedicating their time and sacrificing all they did to ensure Mr. Hardin was recaptured and the community could feel safe.'
Magness said that the specialized unit from the US Border Patrol Tactical Unit helped officials locate Hardin.
'Thanks to the great work of local, state and federal law enforcement, Arkansans can breathe a sigh of relief and I can confirm that violent criminal Grant Hardin is back in custody,' Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. '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.'
'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,' said Secretary of Corrections Lindsay Wallace. '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.'
Hardin is a former Police Chief in Gateway and had been incarcerated at the North Central Unit since 2017. He was currently serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder and an additional sentence for rape.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
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Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ex-police chief Grant Hardin recaptured after escape from Arkansas prison
June 7 (UPI) -- 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."


CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Grant Hardin, Arkansas escapee known as "Devil in the Ozarks," recaptured near prison after 2-week manhunt
Escaped former police chief known as the "Devil in the Ozarks" caught "Devil in the Ozarks" caught after jailbreak "Devil in the Ozarks" caught after jailbreak A former police chief known as the "Devil in the Ozarks" was recaptured Friday, nearly two weeks after his escape from an Arkansas prison, where he was serving decadeslong sentences for murder and rape, the Izard County Sheriff's Office said. Grant Hardin escaped on May 25 from the Calico Rock prison by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform, officials have said. In a statement Friday, Sheriff Brandon Long said Hardin was apprehended at about 3:45 p.m. "just a short distance" from the prison. Arkansas law enforcement officers and the U.S. Border Patrol located Hardin near Moccasin Creek in Izard County, roughly a mile and a half west of the prison's North Central Unit, the Arkansas Department of Corrections said. Tracking dogs were able to pick up a scent in the area. Grant Hardin, a former police chief known as the "Devil in the Ozarks," was recaptured Friday, June 6, 2025. Arkansas Department of Corrections "While many details will remain under investigation, there is no longer an active threat to public safety," Long said. Law enforcement officials said they confirmed his identity by fingerprint analysis before notifying the public. Grant Hardin is pictured after his capture on Friday, June 6. 2025. Arkansas Department of Corrections Hardin had been held at the prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder for fatally shooting 59-year-old James Appleton — a man he allegedly had multiple disputes with, according to the HBO documentary "Devil in the Ozarks." The fatal shooting happened following Hardin's brief time as the police chief of the small town of Gateway, Arkansas. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder. Hardin's DNA was then matched to the 1997 rape of a teacher at an elementary school in northwestern Arkansas. He pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for each count, for a total sentence of 50 years.

Los Angeles Times
11 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Ex-police chief, convicted killer who escaped from Arkansas prison is captured
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