Latest news with #IzardCountySheriff
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
Arkansas killer and rapist caught after 13-day manhunt in mountains
A former police chief who is also a convicted killer and rapist nicknamed the 'Devil in the Ozarks' was captured by law enforcement 1.5 miles north-west of the prison he escaped from following a 13-day manhunt in the mountains of northern Arkansas, authorities announced on Friday. Grant Hardin's identity was confirmed through fingerprinting, the Izard county sheriff's office said in a Facebook post. Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. Eventually, his notoriety led to a TV documentary, 2023's Devil in the Ozarks. Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting. In order to escape, he had impersonated 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. Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the state prison system, said that someone should have checked Hardin's identity before he was allowed to leave, describing the lack of verification as a 'lapse' that's being investigated. Searchers had been using bloodhounds, officers on horseback, drones and helicopters in their hunt for Hardin since he escaped on 25 May. An elite and highly trained US border patrol team had recently joined the search, federal authorities announced this week. The border patrol tactical team known as BORTAC provided 'advanced search capabilities and operational support' in the hunt for Hardin, US customs and border protection said. Its members are experienced in navigating complex terrain, the agency said. The Ozark mountains region is known for its rocky and rugged landscape, thick forests and an extensive cave network. Hardin pleaded guilty in 2017 to first-degree murder for the killing of James Appleton, 59. Appleton worked for the Gateway water department when he was shot in the head on 23 February 2017, near Garfield. Police found Appleton's body inside a car. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Hardin's DNA was also matched to the 1997 rape of a teacher at an elementary school in Rogers, north of Fayetteville. He was sentenced to 50 years for that crime.
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Ex-police chief and convicted killer who escaped from an Arkansas jail has been captured
This undated photo provided by the Arkansas Department of Corrections Communications Department shows inmate Grant Hardin. (Arkansas Department of Corrections Communications Department via AP) A former police chief and convicted killer known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' was captured by law enforcement 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) northwest of the prison he escaped from following massive, nearly two-weeks-long manhunt in the mountains of northern Arkansas, authorities announced on Friday. Grant Hardin's identity was confirmed through fingerprinting, the Izard County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. Eventually, his notoriety led to a TV documentary, 'Devil in the Ozarks.' Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting. In order to escape, he had impersonated 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. Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the state prison system, said that someone should have checked Hardin's identity before he was allowed to leave, describing the lack of verification as a 'lapse' that's being investigated. Searchers had been using bloodhounds, officers on horseback, drones and helicopters in their hunt for Hardin since he escaped on May 25. An elite and highly trained U.S. Border Patrol team had recently joined the search, federal authorities announced this week. The Border Patrol Tactical Team known as BORTAC provided 'advanced search capabilities and operational support' in the hunt for Hardin, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. Its members are experienced in navigating complex terrain, the agency said. The Ozark Mountains region is known for its rocky and rugged landscape, thick forests and an extensive cave network. Hardin pleaded guilty in 2017 to first-degree murder for the killing of James Appleton, 59. Appleton worked for the Gateway water department when he was shot in the head Feb. 23, 2017, near Garfield. Police found Appleton's body inside a car. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Hardin's DNA was also matched to the 1997 rape of a teacher at an elementary school in Rogers, north of Fayetteville. He was sentenced to 50 years for that crime. Jeff Martin, The Associated Press
Fox News
3 days ago
- Fox News
Notorious 'Devil in the Ozarks' finally caught after weeks-long manhunt that drew multiple agencies
Escapee Grant Hardin, a convicted murderer and rapist who sparked a multi-agency manhunt after fleeing custody last month, has been captured. Nicknamed the "Devil in the Ozarks," Hardin was apprehended this afternoon approximately 1.5 miles north-northwest of the North Central Unit prison facility from which he escaped on May 25, the Izard County Sheriff's Office said. Hardin's identity was confirmed through fingerprint analysis prior to the department's announcement of his long-awaited capture. Officials said that he was taken into custody without incident, ending a weeks-long manhunt that had drawn in local law enforcement, state police, federal agencies, and elite tactical units. The capture of the fugitive came after authorities focused their search in the rugged, remote terrain surrounding the prison grounds. Hardin, 56, was serving an 80-year sentence for the 2017 murder of James Appleton and a previously unsolved 1997 rape case. Hardin escaped prison through a sally port, wearing a makeshift ADC-style uniform, ADC communications director Rand Champion said last week, noting the uniform he was wearing was not official. In a statement, the Izard County Sheriff's Office thanked the public and the law enforcement community for their ongoing support and vigilance during the manhunt. "We sincerely appreciate the continued support of the community for all law enforcement personnel involved in this operation," the department said. Officials have not yet released further details regarding how Hardin was located or whether he received any outside assistance during his escape. Investigations into the security breach remain ongoing.
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Manhunt for killer police chief nicknamed ‘Devil in the Ozarks' after jailbreak
Officers are hunting a former police chief and convicted killer and rapist nicknamed 'Devil in the Ozarks' who escaped from prison over the weekend. Grant Hardin, the former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. On Sunday, Hardin escaped from the North Central Unit — a prison also known as the Calico Rock prison — by disguising himself and wearing a 'makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement,' state prison officials said in a statement. 'That was not a standard inmate uniform, not a standard correctional uniform,' said Rand Champion, a spokesman for the Arkansas department of corrections. Authorities are using dogs, drones and helicopters to search for the escapee, Mr Champion added. 'Everything we've got, we're using,' he said. Mr Champion said the search area has been widened the longer Hardin has been missing, although could not provide further details. He said: 'Where this facility is located, the topography does provide challenges,' he said. 'At the same time, it kind of limits where he is able to get. 'It's called Calico Rock for a reason, because it's very rocky.' Complicating the search effort is the heavy rain that's fallen in recent days in the area, he said. 'You take that rain and combine it with the terrain, and it makes for a tough situation.' Izard County Sheriff Charley Melton urged local residents to lock their homes and cars and call 911 if they notice anything suspicious. Other sheriffs also issued similar warnings about Hardin, who was the focus of a 2023 documentary, Devil in the Ozarks. Cheryl Tillman, whose brother James Appleton was killed by Hardin in 2017, said she and other relatives are alarmed by Hardin's escape since they were witnesses in his court proceedings. 'We were there at his trial when all that went down, and he seen us there, he knows,' she said, adding: 'He's just an evil man. He is no good for society.' Hardin pleaded guilty in October 2017 to first-degree murder for fatally shooting Appleton, who was 59. Appleton worked for the Gateway water department when he was shot in the head on Feb 23 2017, near Garfield. Police found Appleton's body inside a car. Investigators at the time did not release a motive for the killing and Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He is also serving 50 years in prison for the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers north of Fayetteville. Hardin had been held in the Calico Rock prison since 2017.
