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CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
New possible image of Grant Hardin shows what the escaped Arkansas inmate might look like now
A new possible headshot of Grant Hardin, the former police chief of Gateway, Arkansas, who escaped from prison last week, shows what the fugitive known as the "Devil in the Ozarks" might look like today as authorities continue their search for him. The search for escaped inmate Grant Hardin is ongoing as teams continue to focus their efforts in the north central Arkansas region while investigating tips as they are received. — Arkansas Department of Corrections (@ADCPIO) June 3, 2025 The Arkansas Department of Corrections released the image of Hardin, 56, on social media Tuesday, saying the search for him is focused on north central Arkansas. Hardin had been at North Central Unit, a prison located in Calico Rock, Arkansas, since 2017. "With over a week passing since Hardin escaped the North Central Unit, we are releasing a possible updated headshot which could reflect how he might look today," the department wrote on X. In contrast to a previous mugshot of the ex-police chief, who was serving a decadeslong sentence for murder and rape, the new possible photo of Hardin shows him with facial hair and he appears to be slimmer. Photos of Grant Hardin provided by the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Arkansas Department of Corrections The corrections department also said investigators are using tips from the public to guide their search efforts. A reward for information that leads to the capture of Hardin has also increased to $25,000, the Arkansas Department of Corrections said Tuesday. A $20,000 reward will come from the FBI and $5,000 from the U.S. Marshals. Hardin escaped from the prison on May 25 by impersonating a corrections officer "in dress and manner," according to a court document. A prison officer opened a secure gate, allowing him to leave the facility. The outfit was not a standard inmate or correctional uniform, Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, said. Officials are working to determine how he was either able to get the uniform or manufacture it himself. This image provided by the Arkansas Department of Corrections shows Grant Hardin, a former police chief and convicted killer, escaping the North Central Unit prison wearing a disguise in Calico Rock, Ark. Arkansas Department of Corrections via AP An investigation into what led up to the escape "to help determine any assistance he may have had" was ongoing, the Arkansas Department of Corrections said. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at
Business Wire
a day ago
- Business
- Business Wire
SGNL Launches MCP Gateway to Enable Secure AI Adoption for Enterprise Workforces
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AI agents are proliferating across enterprises faster than security teams can govern—creating massive blind spots and risk. SGNL today announced that its Model Context Protocol (MCP) Gateway is live with private availability to customers. The release puts identity-first security policies in the path of every AI interaction, automatically blocking unauthorized actions while maintaining business velocity. The release puts identity-first security policies in the path of every AI interaction, automatically blocking unauthorized actions while maintaining business velocity. MCP is revolutionizing how AI agents interact with internal and external systems—enabling them to perform tasks, interact with data, and trigger workflows across the enterprise. But without robust access controls, these agents can operate unchecked, risking over-permissioned access and unintended data exposure. Because of this, enterprises have been hesitant to approve AI tools for their workforce. SGNL's MCP Gateway changes that. It brings centralized, dynamic authorization to every MCP server in the enterprise—governing access not just based on what the agent wants to do, but who they represent, where the request is coming from, and why it's being made. 'SGNL's MCP Gateway delivers more than just a technical breakthrough,' said Stephen Ward, co-founder of Brightmind Partners, former Home Depot CISO, and ex-Secret Service cybersecurity leader. 'It's a strategic game-changer that gives enterprises the levers to align AI automation with business policy in real time, bridging the critical gap between innovation and control.' Eliminating blind access in the age of autonomous IT AI agents are entering enterprise workflows faster than security teams can respond. From summarizing sensitive data to triggering downstream actions, they don't inherently understand risk, yet they operate at machine speed across dynamic contexts where traditional boundaries no longer apply. This creates a fundamental mismatch. Legacy role-based access control was designed for predictable human behavior, not autonomous systems making thousands of decisions per minute. Enterprises can't simply "IAM harder" with existing tooling because static RBAC becomes exponentially more dangerous when applied to agents that never sleep, never second-guess themselves, and correlate data in ways humans cannot. The result is blind access at scale, where broadly privileged roles and brittle permission matrices compound risk with every agent interaction. The SGNL MCP Gateway addresses this head-on with: Real-time policy enforcement between MCP clients and servers Continuous evaluation of identity, device compliance, and request context Default-deny architecture with enterprise-wide MCP server registry that grants access only to approved services when explicitly justified Centralized MCP server registry and visibility into every AI agent interaction 'The Gateway isn't just a feature—it's foundational,' said Scott Kriz, CEO and co-founder of SGNL. 'With it, we're giving customers the ability to harness AI's full potential without compromising on security and control. Our customers can now confidently adopt agent-based workflows knowing that access decisions are dynamic, contextual, and enforceable at every step.' A real-world example: stopping data loss before it happens In a common use case, an account executive attempts to use an AI agent to summarize Salesforce data from a non-compliant laptop. Without SGNL, the agent would retrieve and expose potentially sensitive customer data. With SGNL's MCP Gateway in place, contextual policy enforcement blocks the request—ensuring that only secure, compliant actions are permitted. This is just one of countless scenarios where real-time governance makes the difference between acceleration and exposure. See SGNL's MCP Gateway in action Request a demo at to see how SGNL's MCP Gateway governs AI agent access for enterprise workforces. About SGNL SGNL's modern Privileged Identity Management is redefining identity-first security for the enterprise. By decoupling credentials from identity and enabling real-time, context-aware access decisions, SGNL empowers organizations to reduce risk, streamline operations, and scale securely. Whether it's humans or AI agents, SGNL keeps your critical systems and sensitive data secure. That's why Fortune 500 companies are turning to SGNL to simplify their identity access programs and secure critical systems. Learn more at
DW
3 days ago
- Science
- DW
The moon: Why we want to go back – DW – 06/02/2025
Almost six decades since humans walked on the moon, space agencies and commercial companies want to use it as a gateway to Mars. But that's not all. What you need to know: The prospect of humans returning to the moon looks more likely than ever, with NASA and ESA collaborating on the Artemis program There have been a number of recent, successful moon missions by China and India Space agencies and commercial companies want to use the moon for scientific research and as a base to get to Mars A growing interest in moon missions The Artemis program is a North American, NASA-led human spaceflight program, involving 55 international collaborators, including the European Space Agency (ESA). NASA aims to establish a permanent base at the moon's South Pole and call it Artemis Base Camp. It also aims to launch a new space station, called Gateway, into the moon's orbit. Meanwhile, a joint China-Russia project, involving 13 international partners, aims to build a moon base called The International Lunar Research Station by 2035. Both the Artemis Base Camp and the International Lunar Research Station are proposed as scientific in nature. They will, if successful, host astronauts for short stays and house permanent robotic equipment, which could be operated from Earth. But the moon has also always been of strategic value, too. During the Cold War, the US and Soviet-era Russia fought out their ideological differences on the moon as well as on Earth. And so it is today, except there are more players. The US, for one, has stated publicly that it considers itself to be in a new space race, which America wants to win. Here are more reasons why. The moon is rich in resources Part of the moon's appeal lies in its abundant resources. These include: Iron Silicon Hydrogen Titanium Rare earth elements While the costs of extraction and transportation are high, some of these resources could be brought back to Earth, where resources are dwindling in supply. Mining operations on the moon could pave the way for extracting an immense mineral wealth held in asteroids, and the moon will be the first place this will be tested. Mining asteroids To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Most material extracted from the moon will be used to replace materials that would otherwise be needed to be brought from Earth, essentially making lunar bases self-sufficient. Regolith (lunar soil), for example, could be used as radiation protection and construction material for lunar bases. Water, which was first discovered on the moon in 2008 by the Indian mission Chandrayaan-1, will be important for drinking, growing food, and cooling equipment. Missions since Chandrayaan-1 have shown there are high concentrations of ice at the lunar poles, which is partly why the first lunar colonies are likely to be built at the poles — and probably at the moon's South Pole, even though it is difficult to land there. These bases could also be used as "transit lounges" for astronauts on their way to Mars. For energy, solar radiation is already used to power some spacecraft and satellites, but regolith and water ice could also be used to make rocket propellant. The moon also contains significant amounts of helium-3, a potential fuel for nuclear fusion power. So, that's another reason future Mars missions are landing for a stopover on the moon and refuel. Scientific research on the moon Scientific research is at the core of ESA's Moon Exploration Programme, as it is for all space agencies, said Sara Pastor, ESA's Lunar and Gateway Program Manager, in an email to DW. Humans have had a continued presence in space for the past 20 years aboard the International Space Station. But the ISS is only 250 miles (~400km) away in low-Earth orbit, which is as little as four hours after launching from Earth. The moon is 250,000 miles away — about three days' spaceflight — and a far riskier journey for astronauts. The first research on the moon aims to make that journey safer and easier. Then there is environmental science: "[Scientists] will investigate the nature of lunar environments, how their unique conditions affect human health and performance, and robotic exploration systems, and how human activity affects these environments," Pastor said. Researchers will want to determine how water, metals, and other lunar resources can be used to sustain lunar bases for the long term, and how best to extract them. "ESA is developing instruments for radiation environment measurements, drilling and in-situ sample analysis, geophysics and lunar space weather," Pastor said. Moon tech benefits us all on Earth It's often claimed that we owe mobile phones to the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s. While our mobile phones are not direct descendants from space tech, the Apollo missions did help miniaturize electronic and telecommunication devices. Dozens of modern technologies originally developed in the R&D labs of space agencies bring benefits to people on earth — including home insulation, memory foam (used in mattresses), freeze-dried foods, robotic sensors and limbs, and telemedicine. Scientists are developing medical equipment and health tracking methods to protect astronauts' health when they spend long periods in the extreme conditions of space, especially the human immune system. For example: portable, lightweight diagnostic equipment needed for spaceflight crews without medical training to monitor their health. These technologies could be used on Earth, too. From a lunar hub to a second (or third) home for humans on Mars? The long-term goal of building surface and orbital moon bases is to serve as a staging post for more distant space travel. "A colony on the moon will be extremely useful and a key training ground for Mars surface human exploration," said Pastor. NASA plans to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s. Edited by: Zulfikar Abbany
CNN
7 days ago
- General
- CNN
A former police chief was in prison for murder and rape. His escape has left a small town on edge and reopened old wounds
Crime Gun violenceFacebookTweetLink Follow The town of Gateway lies on US Highway 62, a two-lane highway in the northwest corner of Arkansas, less than a mile from the Missouri border in the Ozarks. As of the 2020 census, only 436 people lived there. It's the kind of town where everybody knows everybody, locals say. Which might explain how, in 2017, when a detective responded to reports of a man who had been shot and killed sitting in his truck on the side of the road, a witness was able to immediately identify the shooter. 'His name is Grant Hardin,' the witness told the Benton County Sheriff's Office detective, according to a probable cause affidavit. The witness told the detective that Hardin used to work for the Gateway police department and that he'd known Hardin all his life. 'To know that he is out on the loose is very scary,' Cheryl Tillman said. Hardin pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the death of Tillman's brother, James Appleton, in February 2017, according to court documents. He was serving a 30-year sentence for the murder of Appleton as well as two 25-year sentences for two counts of rape when he escaped the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock on Sunday afternoon. Calico Rock and Gateway are less than a three-hour drive apart and separated by miles of fields and tree-lined roads. For Tillman, news of the jailbreak brought back bad memories of her brother's murder and was 'like reliving it all over again,' she said. 'He's just an evil, evil man,' Tillman said. 'I'm sure the people here in Gateway are worried about him breaking out of prison after what he's done.' Hardin was accused of shooting Appleton, who worked for the City of Gateway's water department, in the head while driving down a road approximately half a mile from his home, documents show. Appleton had been on the phone with Tillman's husband, Andrew Tillman, who was the mayor of Gateway at the time. Andrew Tillman told the detective investigating the murder that on his brother-in-law's end of the call he heard what sounded like a loud slammed door and 'that was it,' according to a probable cause affidavit. Hardin's escape has been tough on him, according to his wife. 'He just wants it to end,' Cheryl Tillman said. 'It's a lot on him since he was on the phone with James when the gun went off.' Hardin's court-appointed attorney in the murder case, Shane Wilkinson, told CNN he hasn't heard from Hardin since his escape but has been in contact with local law enforcement, who have been conducting safety checks on his home and business since Hardin broke out. Documents show Hardin was frustrated with Wilkinson following his guilty plea, saying he had wanted to withdraw it. Two years after pleading guilty to murder, Hardin pleaded guilty to two counts of rape after his DNA, which was entered into the Arkansas DNA database following his murder plea, was connected to the 1997 rape of schoolteacher Amy Harrison in the nearby city of Rogers, court documents show. Hardin's attorney in that case declined to comment to CNN about the escape. While in prison in 2019, Hardin completed a program on anger management, prison records show. 'He's a sociopath,' former Benton County prosecutor Nathan Smith told CNN affiliate KHBS. Smith was prosecutor during both the murder and rape convictions. 'He's extremely dangerous,' Smith said. 'He's already proven that he has no moral core or center that would prevent him from doing anything.' Hardin, 56, was briefly the police chief of Gateway in 2016 and had a slew of various law enforcement jobs in the region – many of which ended with him being fired or forced to resign, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported. At the time of the murder, he was a correctional officer at the Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center in Fayetteville, about an hour south of Gateway, according to the Gazette. After four months as Gateway's police chief, the city council recommended he be relieved of duty, according to Cheryl Tillman. Now Gateway's mayor, Cheryl Tillman was on the city council when Hardin was dismissed. 'We needed to let him go because of the way that he was treating the citizens here in Gateway,' she said. Hardin didn't take criticism well and was quick to anger, she added. 'He was very hard to get along with. I felt like he held grudges a lot,' Tillman said. 'You never knew what he was going to do.' As of Wednesday morning, Hardin was still on the loose. 'The search is still primarily focusing on the north central part of the (state) with leads being followed up on wherever they are received,' said Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Officials are also investigating the events that led up to the escape, which includes an internal investigation, Champion said. Tillman said she was glad Benton County authorities are helping patrol the town while Hardin is on the lam. 'I'm very concerned for our citizens,' she said. While she is sure that 'everybody in the town is a little nervous,' she said she's also sure authorities will capture Hardin eventually. The mayor's message for the people of Gateway is to be vigilant, lock doors and call the police if they see anything suspicious. Her message to Hardin is, 'Don't come around here, because it won't be pretty.' CNN's Taylor Romine and Rebekah Reiss contributed to this report.
CNN
7 days ago
- General
- CNN
A former police chief was in prison for murder and rape. His escape has left a small town on edge and reopened old wounds
Crime Gun violenceFacebookTweetLink Follow The town of Gateway lies on US Highway 62, a two-lane highway in the northwest corner of Arkansas, less than a mile from the Missouri border in the Ozarks. As of the 2020 census, only 436 people lived there. It's the kind of town where everybody knows everybody, locals say. Which might explain how, in 2017, when a detective responded to reports of a man who had been shot and killed sitting in his truck on the side of the road, a witness was able to immediately identify the shooter. 'His name is Grant Hardin,' the witness told the Benton County Sheriff's Office detective, according to a probable cause affidavit. The witness told the detective that Hardin used to work for the Gateway police department and that he'd known Hardin all his life. 'To know that he is out on the loose is very scary,' Cheryl Tillman said. Hardin pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the death of Tillman's brother, James Appleton, in February 2017, according to court documents. He was serving a 30-year sentence for the murder of Appleton as well as two 25-year sentences for two counts of rape when he escaped the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock on Sunday afternoon. Calico Rock and Gateway are less than a three-hour drive apart and separated by miles of fields and tree-lined roads. For Tillman, news of the jailbreak brought back bad memories of her brother's murder and was 'like reliving it all over again,' she said. 'He's just an evil, evil man,' Tillman said. 'I'm sure the people here in Gateway are worried about him breaking out of prison after what he's done.' Hardin was accused of shooting Appleton, who worked for the City of Gateway's water department, in the head while driving down a road approximately half a mile from his home, documents show. Appleton had been on the phone with Tillman's husband, Andrew Tillman, who was the mayor of Gateway at the time. Andrew Tillman told the detective investigating the murder that on his brother-in-law's end of the call he heard what sounded like a loud slammed door and 'that was it,' according to a probable cause affidavit. Hardin's escape has been tough on him, according to his wife. 'He just wants it to end,' Cheryl Tillman said. 'It's a lot on him since he was on the phone with James when the gun went off.' Hardin's court-appointed attorney in the murder case, Shane Wilkinson, told CNN he hasn't heard from Hardin since his escape but has been in contact with local law enforcement, who have been conducting safety checks on his home and business since Hardin broke out. Documents show Hardin was frustrated with Wilkinson following his guilty plea, saying he had wanted to withdraw it. Two years after pleading guilty to murder, Hardin pleaded guilty to two counts of rape after his DNA, which was entered into the Arkansas DNA database following his murder plea, was connected to the 1997 rape of schoolteacher Amy Harrison in the nearby city of Rogers, court documents show. Hardin's attorney in that case declined to comment to CNN about the escape. While in prison in 2019, Hardin completed a program on anger management, prison records show. 'He's a sociopath,' former Benton County prosecutor Nathan Smith told CNN affiliate KHBS. Smith was prosecutor during both the murder and rape convictions. 'He's extremely dangerous,' Smith said. 'He's already proven that he has no moral core or center that would prevent him from doing anything.' Hardin, 56, was briefly the police chief of Gateway in 2016 and had a slew of various law enforcement jobs in the region – many of which ended with him being fired or forced to resign, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported. At the time of the murder, he was a correctional officer at the Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center in Fayetteville, about an hour south of Gateway, according to the Gazette. After four months as Gateway's police chief, the city council recommended he be relieved of duty, according to Cheryl Tillman. Now Gateway's mayor, Cheryl Tillman was on the city council when Hardin was dismissed. 'We needed to let him go because of the way that he was treating the citizens here in Gateway,' she said. Hardin didn't take criticism well and was quick to anger, she added. 'He was very hard to get along with. I felt like he held grudges a lot,' Tillman said. 'You never knew what he was going to do.' As of Wednesday morning, Hardin was still on the loose. 'The search is still primarily focusing on the north central part of the (state) with leads being followed up on wherever they are received,' said Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Officials are also investigating the events that led up to the escape, which includes an internal investigation, Champion said. Tillman said she was glad Benton County authorities are helping patrol the town while Hardin is on the lam. 'I'm very concerned for our citizens,' she said. While she is sure that 'everybody in the town is a little nervous,' she said she's also sure authorities will capture Hardin eventually. The mayor's message for the people of Gateway is to be vigilant, lock doors and call the police if they see anything suspicious. Her message to Hardin is, 'Don't come around here, because it won't be pretty.' CNN's Taylor Romine and Rebekah Reiss contributed to this report.
