Latest news with #DevilInTheOzarks
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Devil in the Ozarks' killer remains a fugitive. Why is it so hard to find him?
The search for Arkansas prison escapee Grant Hardin - the so-called 'Devil in the Ozarks' killer - is in its second week amid mountainous, rough terrain. Hardin, a 56-year-old former police chief, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Arkansas, May 25, where he was serving time for the 2017 murder of James Appleton and the 1997 rape of a school teacher, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. "Inmate Hardin impersonated a corrections officer in dress and manner causing the Corrections Officer operating a secure gate to open the gate and allow Inmate Hardin to walk away from the North Central Unit," Special Agent Dennis Simons of the Izard County Sheriff's Office wrote in an arrest affidavit. The subject of the 2023 documentary "Devil in the Ozarks" remains at large as the FBI and U.S. Marshall's Service have a combined $25,000 reward for information leading to Hardin's capture. Rand Champion, director of communications for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, told NewsNation June 3 that the mountainous terrain of the Ozarks has made the search difficult. "We've got to try and access some pretty hard-to-get-to places. And so being able to get into there has caused some challenges,' Champion told the network. The Arkansas Department of Corrections released a photo Tuesday depicting "what officials feel he would look similar to after a week on the run," Champion said in an email to USA TODAY Tuesday night. He added that the mugshot was altered to represent a week's worth of hair growth and to make Hardin slimmer due to limited food. Champion said that there are no new developments as of Tuesday night, though tips are being investigated. Here is a timeline of what we know about Grant Hardin. Reporting from local outlets and court records show: August 6, 1990: Hardin is hired by the Fayetteville Police Department 5News reported that department records say he had not improved in "control of conflict" skills during his training May 22, 1991: Hardin is fired by the Fayetteville Police Department "Your Field Training Officers, supervisors, and I have observed your performance and determined your efforts fall short of the average probationary officer," A letter, published by 5News, from then chief Richard Watson said. "Your tendency not to accept constructive criticism along with indecisiveness under stressful situations played a major role in my decision." November 1, 1991: Hardin is hired by the Huntsville Police Department June 2, 1992: Hardin leaves the Huntsville Police Department July 20, 1993: Hardin is hired by the Eureka Springs Police Department October 4, 1996: Hardin is fired by the Eureka Springs Police Department Then Chief Earl Hyatt fired Hardin for excessive force and lying on a report, KNWA reported November 9, 1997: Hardin assaults a school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas The victim told investigators that she was attacked on a Sunday morning, a time she normally worked to prepare for the week and noted that a church group was meeting in the school's cafeteria, according to an affidavit filed at the time of the attack. She was attacked at gunpoint after leaving her classroom for a restroom off of the teacher's lounge, according to the affidavit. 2009: Hardin begins his first term as Benton County District 1 Constable, according to 5News 2013: Hardin begins his second term as constable, according to 5News January 2016: Hardin is hired to be the police chief in Gateway, Arkansas April 2016: Hardin resigns from the position following an ultimatum from the city council, according to the Associated Press "He's an evil person," then city council member and current Gateway Mayor Cheryl Tillman told USA TODAY. November 21, 2016: Hardin is hired at the Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center in Fayetteville, according to KHBS/KHOG. He would work there until his arrest February 23, 2017: Hardin shoots James Appleton Appleton's brother-in-law, 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. Tillman was the mayor of Gateway, Arkansas when the shooting occurred. A witness told investigators that he saw a white car parked behind Appleton's truck, heard a loud bang and saw the white car speed off. The witness then turned around to check on the truck only to discover Appleton dead, according to the affidavit. October 19, 2017: Hardin pleads guilty to murder in the first degree February 12, 2018: Hardin is charged for the 1997 rape based on a DNA test taken after the murder conviction, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case February 13, 2019: Hardin pleads guilty to two counts of rape and is sentenced to serve 25 years in prison for each count consecutively 2023: The documentary "Devil in the Ozarks" is released "Even just seeing the guy's face on the news again, I shuddered. I can only imagine what the victims and the victims' families felt," Ari Mark, co-founder of AMPLE Entertainment and executive producer of the documentary told USA TODAY Contributing: Jeanine Santucci – USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Devil in the Ozarks killer still a fugitive. Why's he so hard to find?
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
A 12-day search ends less than 2 miles away: How 'Devil in the Ozarks' killer was caught
The former Arkansas police chief who escaped prison disguised as a guard only made it about a mile-and-a-half away from the facility in the 12 days before he was captured, officials said. Convicted murderer and rapist Grant Hardin was found at about 3 p.m. on June 6 west of the North Central Unit state prison near Moccasin Creek in Izard County, Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion said in a statement. In a photo of his arrest, Hardin is seen sitting on the ground in a vegetated area with his hands behind his back in a baseball cap and dirty T-shirt and pants. Hardin, 56, was in prison serving a decadeslong sentence for the 2017 murder of water department employee James Appleton in Gateway, Arkansas, and the 1997 rape of a school teacher in nearby Rogers. He's known as the "Devil in the Ozarks," the name of a 2023 TV documentary about his crimes. His escape on May 25 involved dressing up in a makeshift outfit to disguise himself as a corrections officer, tricking a real officer into opening a gate and allowing him to walk out of the medium-security facility, court records said. He will now be housed at the high-security Varner Unit in Gould, Arkansas, Champion said. Here's what we know about Hardin's capture and escape: Discover WITNESS: Access our exclusive collection of true crime stories, podcasts, videos and more Authorities said tracking dogs picked up Hardin's scent and were able to lead them to Hardin. Hundreds of law enforcement officers at the local, state and federal level spent nearly two weeks searching for Hardin, using dogs, drones and aircraft, at times hampered by severe weather. Moccasin Creek where he was found has seen high water due to heavy rainfall in the last two weeks, which may have limited Hardin's ability to move around. It also prevented authorities from finding him sooner. Champion said search teams had looked through the area before but couldn't fully investigate because of the high water. Though Hardin was previously thought to have left the state, Champion said investigators now believe he never got very far at all from the prison. He was fingerprinted and assessed at the North Central Unit before being moved to the Varner Unit, Champion said. He will be interviewed in the coming days. Hardin slipped away from the prison the afternoon of May 25 wearing a "makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement," the Arkansas Department of Corrections said. "Inmate Hardin impersonated a corrections officer in dress and manner causing the Corrections Officer operating a secure gate to open the gate and allow Inmate Hardin to walk away from the North Central Unit," Special Agent Dennis Simons of the Izard County Sheriff's Office wrote in an arrest affidavit. A photo from surveillance footage showed Hardin wearing the outfit and pushing a loaded cart as he escaped. Champion said Hardin was gone for about 20 minutes when an officer noticed he was missing. 'Devil in the Ozarks' killer: Why was it so hard to find Grant Hardin? His escape came amid an ongoing weekslong search for escaped inmates in Louisiana. On May 16, 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail; two are still on the run as of June 7. Hardin pleaded guilty to the Feb. 23, 2017, murder of Appleton. Appleton's brother-in-law and the mayor of Gateway at the time, Andrew Tillman, told police he was on the phone with Appleton while Appleton was driving his truck. Appleton pulled over so he wouldn't lose signal while on the phone with Tillman, Tillman told investigators. Tillman heard what sounded like a car door slamming shut, then nothing. A witness also told police they saw someone pulled over behind the truck in a car and heard a gunshot, and identified the driver as Hardin. Appleton was found dead in his truck with a gunshot to the side of his head and face. After his conviction, his DNA was matched with that from an unsolved rape case in 1997, in which a teacher said she was attacked while at school by a man who held her at gunpoint, according to court records. Hardin pleaded guilty to charges related to the rape. Hardin's combined convictions added up to 80 years in prison sentences. Hardin was the chief of police in Gateway for about four months in 2016, the Associated Press reported. He was also terminated from roles at other police departments, local outlets have reported. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Devil in the Ozarks' killer captured: How Grant Hardin was caught
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Recaptured Arkansas prison escapee known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' sent to SuperMax prison
Convicted killer and recaptured prison escapee Grant Hardin, known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks,' has been transferred to the Varner SuperMax prison southeast of Little Rock, Arkansas prison authorities announced Saturday. After a nearly two-week search in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas, authorities recaptured Hardin on Friday 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the prison from which he escaped. Hardin briefly attempted to run from officers when he saw them approach, but he was quickly tackled to the ground, said Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas prison system. Authorities tried to track Hardin using drones, bloodhounds and a helicopter, but high water from heavy rains during the search raised the water level in creeks and streams around the prison. That likely limited his abilities — and also those of the searchers -- to move through the rugged terrain, Champion said. 'The direction he went, specifically around Moccasin Creek, saw high water due to the abundance of rain the last few weeks, which more than likely limited his options to get around the area,' Champion said. 'Search teams had looked through this area before, but the high water previously limited their ability to fully investigate.' Residents of the nearby town of Calico Rock, like Roger Simons, said they were surprised to learn that Hardin had stayed so close to the prison. 'None of us really thought he was still in the area,' said Simons, a local bartender. 'We thought he was long gone — that's what I would have bet my money on." Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting. He escaped by impersonating a corrections officer 'in dress and manner,' according to a court document. A prison officer in one of the guard towers opened a secure gate, allowing him to walk out of the facility. Authorities say they are investigating why Hardin's identity was not checked before he was allowed to leave. Benton County Prosecutor Bryan Sexton, who oversaw Hardin's convictions for murder and rape, said he had been in close contact with law enforcement officials who were 'consistent' with their belief that Hardin remained in the northern Arkansas region. Hardin is a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border whose notoriety led to a TV documentary called 'Devil in the Ozarks.' Sexton said his escape had significantly disrupted the lives of trial witnesses and Hardin's victims, whom he kept updated on the pursuit for the fugitive. 'Every one of them to a person informed me that they had to make changes in their lives because they had had concerns for their safety,' Sexton said. After Hardin's recapture, 'they could get closure in their lives and secondly go back to their normal lives, which had been disrupted the whole time he was out,' Sexton said. Cheryl Tillman, the sister of a man shot by Hardin in 2017, told The Associated Press that Hardin's capture was a 'big sigh of relief' for her whole family. 'We don't have to walk around, turning around all the time, thinking somebody's on our back,' Tillman said, emphasizing her appreciation for the officers who helped capture Hardin. Sexton said he was more assured now that Hardin was being sent to a more secure facility. The Varner Unit, established in 1987, has the capacity to house 1,714 inmates. It is the site where former President Bill Clinton's gubernatorial chief of staff, a death penalty opponent, faced charges for trying to smuggle a knife and tattoo needles into death row. Within Varner, a special 'supermax' unit houses the most high-risk prisoners such as a man who fatally shot a soldier at a military recruiting station and death row inmates such as convicted child rapist and murderer Zachary Holly. Damien Wayne Echols of the West Memphis Three was also incarcerated there prior to his release. 'By reputation, Varner is the most secure prison in the Arkansas system,' Sexton said. "I think that all things considering, putting him (Hardin) in the most secure facility we can is probably a wise thing to do."
The Independent
14 hours ago
- The Independent
Recaptured Arkansas prison escapee known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' sent to SuperMax prison
Convicted killer and recaptured prison escapee Grant Hardin, known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks,' has been transferred to the Varner SuperMax prison southeast of Little Rock, Arkansas prison authorities announced Saturday. After a nearly two-week-long search in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas, authorities recaptured Hardin on Friday 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the prison from which he escaped. Hardin briefly attempted to run from officers when he saw them approach Friday afternoon, but he was quickly tackled to the ground, said Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas prison system. Authorities tried to track Hardin using drones, bloodhounds and a helicopter, but high water from heavy rains during the search raised the water level in creeks and streams around the prison. That likely limited his abilities — and also those of the searchers -- to move through the rugged terrain, Champion said. 'The direction he went, specifically around Moccasin Creek, saw high water due to the abundance of rain the last few weeks, which more than likely limited his options to get around the area,' Champion said. 'Search teams had looked through this area before, but the high water previously limited their ability to fully investigate.' Residents of the nearby town of Calico Rock, like Roger Simons, said they were surprised to learn that Hardin had stayed so close to the prison. 'Most of us in the area kind of figured he was either gone or dead, and none of us really thought he was still in the area,' said Simons, a local bartender. 'We thought he was long gone — that's what I would have bet my money on." Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting. He escaped by impersonating a corrections officer 'in dress and manner,' according to a court document. A prison officer in one of the guard towers opened a secure gate, allowing him to walk out of the facility. Authorities say they are investigating why Hardin's identity was not checked before he was allowed to leave. Benton County Prosecutor Bryan Sexton, who oversaw Hardin's convictions for murder and rape, said he had been in close contact with law enforcement officials who were 'consistent' with their belief that Hardin remained in the northern Arkansas region. Hardin is a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas- Missouri border whose notoriety led to a TV documentary called 'Devil in the Ozarks.' Sexton said his escape had significantly disrupted the lives of trial witnesses and Hardin's victims, whom he kept updated on the pursuit for the fugitive. 'Every one of them to a person informed me that they had to make changes in their lives because they had had concerns for their safety,' Sexton said. After Hardin's recapture, 'they could get closure in their lives and secondly go back to their normal lives, which had been disrupted the whole time he was out,' Sexton said. Cheryl Tillman, the sister of a man shot by Hardin in 2017, told The Associated Press that Hardin's capture was a 'big sigh of relief' for her whole family. 'We don't have to walk around, turning around all the time, thinking somebody's on our back,' Tillman said, emphasizing her appreciation for the officers who helped capture Hardin. Sexton said he was more assured now that Hardin was being sent to a more secure facility. The Varner Unit, established in 1987, has the capacity to house 1,714 inmates. It is the site where former President Bill Clinton's gubernatorial chief of staff, a death penalty opponent, faced charges for trying to smuggle a knife and tattoo needles into death row. Within Varner, a special 'supermax' unit houses the most high-risk prisoners such as a man who fatally shot a soldier at a military recruiting station and death row inmates such as convicted child rapist and murderer Zachary Holly. Damien Wayne Echols of the West Memphis Three was also incarcerated there prior to his release. 'By reputation, Varner is the most secure prison in the Arkansas system,' Sexton said. "I think that all things considering, putting him (Hardin) in the most secure facility we can is probably a wise thing to do."
Associated Press
14 hours ago
- Associated Press
Recaptured Arkansas prison escapee known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' sent to SuperMax prison
Convicted killer and recaptured prison escapee Grant Hardin, known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks,' has been transferred to the Varner SuperMax prison southeast of Little Rock, Arkansas prison authorities announced Saturday. After a nearly two-week-long search in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas, authorities recaptured Hardin on Friday 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the prison from which he escaped. Hardin briefly attempted to run from officers when he saw them approach Friday afternoon, but he was quickly tackled to the ground, said Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas prison system. Authorities tried to track Hardin using drones, bloodhounds and a helicopter, but high water from heavy rains during the search raised the water level in creeks and streams around the prison. That likely limited his abilities — and also those of the searchers -- to move through the rugged terrain, Champion said. 'The direction he went, specifically around Moccasin Creek, saw high water due to the abundance of rain the last few weeks, which more than likely limited his options to get around the area,' Champion said. 'Search teams had looked through this area before, but the high water previously limited their ability to fully investigate.' Residents of the nearby town of Calico Rock, like Roger Simons, said they were surprised to learn that Hardin had stayed so close to the prison. 'Most of us in the area kind of figured he was either gone or dead, and none of us really thought he was still in the area,' said Simons, a local bartender. 'We thought he was long gone — that's what I would have bet my money on.' Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting. He escaped by impersonating a corrections officer 'in dress and manner,' according to a court document. A prison officer in one of the guard towers opened a secure gate, allowing him to walk out of the facility. Authorities say they are investigating why Hardin's identity was not checked before he was allowed to leave. Benton County Prosecutor Bryan Sexton, who oversaw Hardin's convictions for murder and rape, said he had been in close contact with law enforcement officials who were 'consistent' with their belief that Hardin remained in the northern Arkansas region. Hardin is a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border whose notoriety led to a TV documentary called 'Devil in the Ozarks.' Sexton said his escape had significantly disrupted the lives of trial witnesses and Hardin's victims, whom he kept updated on the pursuit for the fugitive. 'Every one of them to a person informed me that they had to make changes in their lives because they had had concerns for their safety,' Sexton said. After Hardin's recapture, 'they could get closure in their lives and secondly go back to their normal lives, which had been disrupted the whole time he was out,' Sexton said. Cheryl Tillman, the sister of a man shot by Hardin in 2017, told The Associated Press that Hardin's capture was a 'big sigh of relief' for her whole family. 'We don't have to walk around, turning around all the time, thinking somebody's on our back,' Tillman said, emphasizing her appreciation for the officers who helped capture Hardin. Sexton said he was more assured now that Hardin was being sent to a more secure facility. The Varner Unit, established in 1987, has the capacity to house 1,714 inmates. It is the site where former President Bill Clinton's gubernatorial chief of staff, a death penalty opponent, faced charges for trying to smuggle a knife and tattoo needles into death row. Within Varner, a special 'supermax' unit houses the most high-risk prisoners such as a man who fatally shot a soldier at a military recruiting station and death row inmates such as convicted child rapist and murderer Zachary Holly. Damien Wayne Echols of the West Memphis Three was also incarcerated there prior to his release. 'By reputation, Varner is the most secure prison in the Arkansas system,' Sexton said. 'I think that all things considering, putting him (Hardin) in the most secure facility we can is probably a wise thing to do.'
