Latest news with #IzardCounty
Yahoo
3 days 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
3 days 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
3 days 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.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Washington Post
Ex-police chief and murderer who fled prison is captured, authorities say
A former Arkansas police chief who escaped from prison while serving time on murder and rape convictions was captured Friday after tracking dogs picked up his scent, officials said. Grant Hardin, who served in the top police job in Gateway, Arkansas, was found in Izard County, about a mile and a half from the facility he escaped on May 25, the Arkansas Department of Corrections said. His identity was confirmed by fingerprint analysis.
CNN
4 days ago
- CNN
Former Arkansas police chief who escaped from prison has been recaptured, sheriff's office says
Grant Hardin, the one-time Arkansas police chief who escaped from prison where he was serving sentences for murder and rape, has been recaptured, according to the Izard County Sheriff's Office. Hardin, 56, had been on the run for more than 10 days after breaking out of the prison on May 25, wearing what authorities described as a makeshift law enforcement uniform. Once the police chief of the small town of Gateway, Arkansas, he was serving a 30-year sentence for murder and two 25-year sentences for two counts of rape when he escaped. He was captured Friday afternoon, just 1.5 miles west of the prison grounds, according to a Facebook post from the sheriff's office. Tracking dogs picked up a scent in the area and Hardin was 'apprehended a short time later' by Arkansas law enforcement officers and US Border Patrol, according to a news release from the Arkansas Department of Corrections. His escape incited an intense search effort in the difficult, rocky terrain of northern Arkansas near the prison, hampered by heavy rain. The area includes plentiful caves and old outbuildings, offering a fugitive many places to hide. Authorities said earlier in the week they believed he may have left the state. He had been incarcerated since 2017 after he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the death of James Appleton, according to court documents. Officials were using all resources at their disposal, including dogs, drones and aircraft as weather permitted, among other methods, Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, previously said. 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. 'He's just an evil, evil man,' Appleton's sister, Cheryl Tillman, told CNN. 'I'm sure the people here in Gateway are worried about him breaking out of prison after what he's done.' 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. 'He's extremely dangerous,' former Benton County prosecutor Nathan Smith told CNN affiliate KHBS. 'He's already proven that he has no moral core or center that would prevent him from doing anything.' This is a developing story and will be updated.
