Latest news with #Hardin
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
'Devil in the Ozarks' on Loose: Killer ex-cop has a dangerous edge as he knows exactly how police think
Police set up checkpoints looking for escaped prisoner Grant Hardin (Pic credit: AP) A massive manhunt is underway for a former Arkansas police chief who escaped from prison Sunday, and experts warn the fugitive's law enforcement background could give him a dangerous edge. Grant Hardin, 56, once the police chief of Gateway, Arkansas, vanished from the North Central Unit, a medium-security prison in Calico Rock, less than 30 minutes before prison officials noticed he was gone. The convicted murderer and rapist, known locally as the "Devil in the Ozarks," is considered armed and extremely dangerous. "He has a working knowledge of law enforcement procedures, patrol routines and how search operations are typically structured," said Eric Brown, a 24-year US army special forces veteran and CEO of Imperio Consulting. "That gives him an initial edge. He knows how law enforcement thinks." 'Think like a fugitive' Authorities have ramped up surveillance and search efforts across Stone County, just east of the Ozark Mountains. Law enforcement teams are deploying drones, thermal imaging, and K-9 units to track Hardin across the rugged terrain. "Officials are watching for stolen vehicles, break-ins, supply thefts, and unusual chatter," Brown said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Soluções de energia de confiança para Data Centers de IA Siemens Energy Read More Undo "The key is pattern disruption." Photos shared by the Stone County sheriff's office show Hardin walking through a sally port wearing a prison-style uniform, though officials said it was not standard issue. The Arkansas department of corrections has not yet revealed how Hardin bypassed security. Dr Angelo Brown, a criminology professor at Arkansas State University, said Hardin's prior role as a police chief could also mean he still has "ties to law enforcement officials who may help him" and is unlikely to make basic errors like using credit cards or contacting family. FBI offers $20,000 reward The FBI has joined the search, offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to Hardin's capture. Authorities say he has connections in Garfield, Eureka Springs, Holiday Island, and Huntsville, and believe he may still be in the general area, for now. "All it takes is one vehicle for him to travel a great distance," said ADC communications director Rand Champion during a press conference Wednesday. "But as of now, we believe he's still close by." Champion warned the public to treat Hardin as "a very dangerous individual," noting there's a real risk he could commit additional crimes while on the run. Hardin's escape came just two days after 10 inmates broke out of a correctional facility in New Orleans, an event that has intensified scrutiny on prison security systems across the South. Authorities describe Hardin as a 6-foot white male, approximately 259 pounds. Anyone with information is urged to call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI. "This is a man with a violent history and the skills to vanish," said Brown. "The clock is ticking — and he's not the kind of man you want free for long."
New York Post
17 hours ago
- New York Post
Former Arkansas police chief's prison escape offers unique challenges: experts
The former Arkansas police chief who escaped prison on Sunday may have an 'edge' compared to other escapees due to his past in law enforcement, experts say. Former Gateway Police Department Chief Grant Hardin, 56, escaped from the North Central Unit, a medium-security prison, Sunday afternoon in Calico Rock, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC). Nicknamed the 'Devil in the Ozarks,' Hardin was serving decades in prison for murder and rape. Advertisement Eric Brown, a 24-year U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and CEO of Imperio Consulting, told Fox News Digital that a former police chief like Hardin 'has a working knowledge of law enforcement procedures, patrol routines and how search operations are typically structured.' 'That gives him an initial edge. He knows how law enforcement thinks,' Brown told Fox News Digital. Law enforcement officials 'will likely lean on geo-fencing, license plate readers, and known associate surveillance,' Brown added. 'If he's on foot, dogs, drones and thermal imaging tighten the noose,' Brown said. Advertisement 'Establishing a perimeter means thinking like the fugitive, assessing terrain, choke points and logical escape routes. Officials are watching for movement: stolen vehicles, property break-ins, supply thefts, even unusual local chatter. The key is pattern disruption.' It took less than 30 minutes for prison officials to notice that Hardin had disappeared from prison. 4 Former Gateway Police Department Chief Grant Hardin, 56, in Arkansas, has escaped from prison, and may have an 'edge' compared to other escapees. Stone County Sheriff's Office Photos that the Stone County Sheriff's Office posted to social media show Hardin wearing an ADC-style uniform during his escape through a sally port, though ADC communications director Rand Champion said the uniform he was wearing was not official. Advertisement Angelo Brown, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminology at Arkansas State University, similarly told Fox News Digital that law enforcement officials will likely be using drones and infrared camera technology to search heavily wooded areas in Stone County, where Hardin escaped, which is located just east of the Ozark Mountains. Hardin has ties to Garfield, Eureka Springs, Holiday Island and Huntsville, according to the FBI. Angelo Brown said Hardin's police chief experience means he likely has ties to law enforcement officials who may help him, and he will avoid making 'simple mistakes that a lot of people on the run make, like going to relatives' homes, using… cellphones, credit cards, things like that.' 4 Experts say the ex-police chief may have an 'edge' compared to other escapees due to his past in law enforcement. AP Advertisement 'Getting away, that's still very unlikely. Especially now, even if it is state-level corruption… the federal government's involved in this search and investigation, the state police, various agencies are working on this. So, I think law enforcement is doing everything they can to keep people safe,' he said, noting, however, that it is impossible to 'mitigate the risk completely' with a fugitive on the run. Champion said during a Wednesday news conference that authorities are fairly confident in the route they believe Hardin took when he escaped and his current location. 'Based on the information that we have and the experience of our teams, they feel fairly confident that he is still fairly close to this region,' Champion said, noting that 'all it takes is one vehicle' for Hardin to use to travel elsewhere, though officials have established a perimeter around Stone County. 4 Law enforcement officials have already said they will rely on 'geo-fencing, license plate readers, and known associate surveillance' in order to track down Hardin. AP 'As of this time, they are still very confident that he is in the area,' Champion said. Champion said the public should assume Hardin is 'a very dangerous individual,' and there is a risk he may commit more crimes while he is on the run. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years for murder plus additional time for rape. He pleaded guilty to the 2017 murder of James Appleton, 59, a city water employee who was found shot in the face inside his work truck, KNWA reported. Advertisement 4 KNWA reported that Hardin pleaded guilty to the 2017 murder of James Appleton, 59, a city water employee who was found shot in the face inside his work truck. AP While Hardin was being booked into the state prison around that time, officials submitted his DNA sample into a database. His DNA linked him to the rape cold case of a teacher in 1997, the outlet reported. Hardin ended up pleading guilty in that case in 2019, according to KNWA. Advertisement The former police chief's escape came two days after 10 prisoners escaped a correctional facility in New Orleans, eight of whom have since been recaptured while two remain at large. Hardin is described as a 6-foot White male, weighing approximately 259 pounds. The FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to his recapture and is asking tipsters to call 1-800-CALL-FBI with any information concerning the escapee.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Caves complicate search for escaped Arkansas inmate
RELATED VIDEO: Escaped Arkansas inmate started tumultuous law enforcement career in Fayetteville (May 29, 2025) GATEWAY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The manhunt for escaped Arkansas inmate Grant Hardin takes officials through the eroded plateaus of the Ozarks — and may extend to the area's many caves. The search for Hardin continues after his escape from North Central Unit in Calico Rock on May 25, with authorities using dogs, drones and helicopters. The topography of the Ozarks already complicates efforts, but officials remain alert to potential threats that may lie beneath the surface. 'Caves have definitely been a source of concern and a point of emphasis,' Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion told the Associated Press. The Natural State is home to close to 2,000 documented caves. However, most of these caves remain absent from public maps. 'Cave locations tend to be fairly well-guarded,' University of Arkansas geosciences professor Matt Covington told KNWA/FOX24. 'Most landowners don't want the locations of their caves publicly available… Cavers also tend to be pretty secretive when it comes to locations, because caves are a fragile environment that is easy to damage if you don't have the appropriate skill set.' Former Washington Co. Sheriff recalls time working as Grant Hardin's Lieutenant The specific locations of significant caves fall under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). However, whether access to confidential cave information is granted or denied is entirely up to the authorized officer's discretion and cannot be appealed or reviewed administratively. Covington said the graphic below—created by Tennessee geographer Chuck Sutherland using data from the Association for Arkansas Cave Studies Inc.—are one of the 'best' visualizations currently available to the public. To view Sutherland's other graphics, including those for neighboring states, click here. Many caves in Arkansas, aside from the well-known ones, have small, hard-to-find entrances. With public cave maps virtually non-existent and knowledge of the caves limited to professionals, landowners and the government, that leaves one last group who knows their locations: locals like Hardin. Pea Ridge cafe owner Darla Nix told the AP that Hardin 'knows where the caves are.' Nix also described Hardin as a 'survivor' and recalls him being 'very, very smart.' One FBI archive article details how the terrain of western North Carolina, comparable to that of northern Arkansas, allowed bomber Eric Rudolph to successfully hide for years. Rudolph, an experienced outdoorsman, evaded capture by using remote cabins and hidden caves during a five-year manhunt that ended in 2003, according to the archive. Cave expert Michael Ray Taylor told the AP that while it's possible to hide in these caves for long periods, the need to leave for supplies increases the risk of discovery. Newton County: 299 Stone County: 138 Madison County: 138 Carroll County: 135 Washington County: 134 Benton County: 112 Searcy County: 89 Marion County: 78 Boone County: 69 Izard County: 68 Crawford County: 62 Baxter County: 35 Independance County: 35 Sharp County: 10 Lawerence County: 7 Pope County: 6 Randolph County: 5 Fulton County: 3 Van Buren County: 1The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bloodhounds hunting 'Devil in the Ozarks' fugitive are seen as key part of manhunt
A bloodhound picked up the scent shortly after the ' Devil in the Ozarks ' escaped from a lockup in northern Arkansas. The hound didn't have to go far to begin the hunt — it lives at the prison as part of a specialized unit that uses man's best friend to help track fugitives. Although the scent of convicted killer Grant Hardin was lost because of heavy rain, experts say that even days after Sunday's escape, the animal's highly developed sense of smell can still pick up a fresh trail. That's partly due to the 300 million cells in their nose that supercharges their sense of smell, said Terri Heck, a Bloodhound handler and trainer who works with the Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney's Office. They've got wide nostrils to scoop up smells, and their long ears often work to stir up scents as they drag along the ground. Even their drool plays a role, as that wetness wakes up scents, Heck said. Bloodhounds are known for being tenacious trackers, said Brian Tierney, president of the National Police Bloodhound Association. They're playing a key role in the search for Hardin, now in its sixth day. 'They have a big heart and big lungs and can go the distance,' Heck said of their endurance. They also save lives, as one young bloodhound did just two weeks ago in Maine. Millie, a 10-month-old hound tracked a 5-year-old girl with autism who went missing from her home on May 16, Maine State Police said. The dog found the girl waist-deep in water in a cedar swamp, the agency said. Authorities credited Millie's dedication and 'incredible nose' for saving the girl. Bloodhounds are also independent, a key trait for searches. 'When it gets to be a difficult search they don't look to you for help, that they go forth themselves,' Heck said. Bad weather confounded the hunt for Hardin, who was serving a 30-year sentence for murder when he escaped from the prison in Calico Rock, Arkansas. The hound found - then lost - Hardin's scent when heavy rains blew through the area, said state prison spokesman Rand Champion. Hardin was tracked for less than a quarter of a mile when the bloodhound lost the trail. The fugitive could have gone in any direction after that. 'That was one of the most frustrating things, that they were able to track him but then they lost him because of the rain,' Champion said. A tip that Hardin was sighted in southern Missouri has been ruled out, Champion said Friday. Until authorities find evidence that he's left the area around the prison, they assume that he's still in that vicinity, he said. Hardin took almost nothing with him and left behind plenty of clothes, bedsheets and other items that are used to familiarize the bloodhounds with his scent, Champion said. Those items are shared with the dogs to give them the initial scent of the person they are seeking, Tierney said. It's a process that's standard operating procedure for Arkansas' prison dogs. Who is Grant Hardin? 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 in prison for that crime. Eventually, his notoriety led to a TV documentary, 'Devil in the Ozarks.' Champion said that someone should have checked Hardin's identity before he was allowed to leave, describing the lack of verification as a 'lapse' that is being investigated. Bloodhounds live at Calico Rock prison The Calico Rock prison is known for its bloodhounds that live in a kennel on prison property. The nearly one dozen dogs at the prison have helped many other agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to track a variety of people over the years, according to a 2021 state audit report on the prison. Southern prisons have a long history of keeping bloodhounds around in case of escapes, like the one featured in country artist Blake Shelton's song 'Ol' Red," about a hound that hunts escaped inmates with "a nose that could smell a two-day trail." Dogs in Arkansas' prison system have also been used to help other agencies find people who are not dangerous, such as missing children, people with special needs or elderly people, Champion said. The bloodhounds tend to raise a ruckus when they find their mark. But the prison system uses other types of dogs in searching for children and vulnerable people who go missing, and those dogs tend to lick people and make friends with them when they are found, Champion said. Fugitives use spices, other means to foil bloodhounds Fugitives being hunted by bloodhounds have been known to take extreme steps to throw the dogs off their trail, Tierney said. Two convicted killers who broke out of a maximum-security prison in upstate New York in 2015 collected dozens of containers of black and cayenne pepper before their escape. They had intended to use the pepper 'to interfere with tracking dogs they assumed would be part of a manhunt for them after the escape,' a state investigation found. One of the men was shot and killed during the manhunt; another was also shot but survived and was captured. Hardin has troubled past in law enforcement In his first job as a police officer 35 years ago in the college town of Fayetteville, home of the University of Arkansas, Hardin struggled almost immediately, his supervisors said. He was dismissed by Fayetteville police, but kept getting hired for other law enforcement jobs in northwest Arkansas over the years. By the time he was the police chief in the small town of Gateway in 2016, 'he was out chasing cars for no reason,' Cheryl Tillman, the town's current mayor, recalled in the documentary 'Devil in the Ozarks.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
FBI increases reward for information on Arkansas inmate escapee Grant Hardin to $20,000
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Federal Bureau of Investigation has increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of Arkansas prison escapee Grant Hardin to $20,000 after five days of searching. Hardin, 56, is a former police chief in northwest Arkansas who escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock Sunday. He was serving a sentence for rape and murder convictions. According to court documents, Hardin was reportedly let out by a corrections officer. A spokesperson with the Arkansas Department of Corrections said Hardin escaped in an 'ADC-type uniform.' Who is Grant Hardin, the 'Devil in the Ozarks'? FBI officials said Hardin has ties to Garfield, Eureka Springs, Holiday Island and Huntsville. Authorities in Faulkner County said deputies conducted a search Wednesday after receiving a tip of a reported sighting. FBI officials say Hardin is 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 259 pounds. Officials say he is bald but has brown hair and blue eyes. Escaped inmate among 10 on the loose from Arkansas state prisons Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
