Latest news with #KHBS
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
From police chief to escaped murderer: Timeline of Arkansas manhunt for Grant Hardin
He's been described as a "sociopath," and "evil" by those who have encountered him, but now Grant Hardin, the former police chief of a small Arkansas town who was imprisoned for murder and rape, is the subject of a massive manhunt since escaping from a correctional facility this week. Hardin, 56, who was briefly police chief in the town of Gateway, near the Arkansas-Missouri border, simply walked out of a guarded gate at the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Arkansas, on Sunday afternoon, according to a probable cause affidavit charging him with second-degree escape. Hardin was dressed as a law enforcement officer pushing a loading cart in surveillance video that captured him absconding from the prison. MORE: 'Evil man': Search continues for ex-police chief who escaped Arkansas prison "Inmate Hardin impersonated a corrections officer in dress and manner, causing the corrections officer operating the gate to open the gate and allow inmate Hardin to walk away from the North Central Unit," according to the affidavit filed Tuesday in an Izard County court. As police continue to scour the Ozark Mountains for the fugitive, here is a timeline of the violent crimes that got him sentenced to 80 years in prison -- and the brazen escape that has prompted national headlines: Feb. 23, 2017 -- James Appleton, a 59-year-old water department worker for the city of Garfield, Arkansas, in Benton County, is shot in the head and killed by Hardin, prosecutors said. Appleton's body was moved to a car, where investigators found him. October 2017 -- Hardin pleads guilty to murder after the fatal shooting of Appleton. He is sentenced to 30 years in prison. The former police chief never revealed a motive for killing Appleton. Following Hardin's escape, former Benton County, Arkansas, prosecutor Nathan Smith, who helped put Hardin in prison, told ABC News' affiliate station KHBS in Fayetteville, Arkansas, that Hardin is a "sociopath." Smith added, "He's extremely dangerous. He's already proven that he has no moral core or center." MORE: 'Sociopath': Former Arkansas police chief sentenced for murder and rape escapes from prison Amid the ongoing search for Hardin, Appleton's sister, Cheryl Tilman, now the mayor of Gateway, describes Hardin in an interview with KHBS as "an evil man." Feb. 8, 2019 -- While serving his stentence for killing Appleton, Hardin pleads guilty to the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in her classroom in Rogers, Arkansas, authorities said. The Rogers Police Department linked Hardin to the rape by matching DNA found at the crime scene to a DNA sample Hardin submitted upon entering prison. He was sentenced to an additional 50 years. May 2023 -- HBO Max releases the real-crime documentary "Devil in the Ozarks" that detailed the rape of the Rogers school teacher and two-decade investigation to bring the perpetrator to justice. May 25, 2025 -- Arkansas Department of Corrections officials announce that Hardin escaped from the North Central Unit prison, while posing as a corrections officer. Surveillance video recorded Hardin at 2:50 p.m. local time pushing a loading cart and wearing what authorities initially described as the type of dark colored uniform worn by Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC) officers. He was waved through the sally port from which he escaped by a Corrections officer. authorities said. ADC officials later said that Hardin was "wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement." May 26, 2025 -- The U.S. Marshals Eastern Arkansas Fugitive Task Force announces it is assisting the Izard County Sheriff's Office in the search for Hardin, as officers from multiple law enforcement agencies searched the North Central Unit facility looking for the fugitive. Officers are seen by an ABC News crew stopping and searching vehicles and going door-to-door in communities around the prison. "An active search remains in effect involving a number of law enforcement agencies from across the state," an ADC spokesperson said. May 28, 2025 -- The search for Hardin continues. From police chief to escaped murderer: Timeline of Arkansas manhunt for Grant Hardin originally appeared on
7 days ago
From police chief to escaped murderer: Timeline of Arkansas manhunt for Grant Hardin
He's been described as a "sociopath," and "evil" by those who have encountered him, but now Grant Hardin, the former police chief of a small Arkansas town who was imprisoned for murder and rape, is the subject of a massive manhunt since escaping from a correctional facility this week. Hardin, 56, who was briefly police chief in the town of Gateway, near the Arkansas-Missouri border, simply walked out of a guarded gate at the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Arkansas, on Sunday afternoon, according to a probable cause affidavit charging him with second-degree escape. Hardin was dressed as a law enforcement officer pushing a loading cart in surveillance video that captured him absconding from the prison. "Inmate Hardin impersonated a corrections officer in dress and manner, causing the corrections officer operating the gate to open the gate and allow inmate Hardin to walk away from the North Central Unit," according to the affidavit filed Tuesday in an Izard County court. As police continue to scour the Ozark Mountains for the fugitive, here is a timeline of the violent crimes that got him sentenced to 80 years in prison -- and the brazen escape that has prompted national headlines: Feb. 23, 2017 -- James Appleton, a 59-year-old water department worker for the city of Garfield, Arkansas, in Benton County, is shot in the head and killed by Hardin, prosecutors said. Appleton's body was moved to a car, where investigators found him. October 2017 -- Hardin pleads guilty to murder after the fatal shooting of Appleton. He is sentenced to 30 years in prison. The former police chief never revealed a motive for killing Appleton. Following Hardin's escape, former Benton County, Arkansas, prosecutor Nathan Smith, who helped put Hardin in prison, told ABC News' affiliate station KHBS in Fayetteville, Arkansas, that Hardin is a "sociopath." Smith added, "He's extremely dangerous. He's already proven that he has no moral core or center." Amid the ongoing search for Hardin, Appleton's sister, Cheryl Tilman, now the mayor of Gateway, describes Hardin in an interview with KHBS as "an evil man." Feb. 8, 2019 -- While serving his stentence for killing Appleton, Hardin pleads guilty to the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in her classroom in Rogers, Arkansas, authorities said. The Rogers Police Department linked Hardin to the rape by matching DNA found at the crime scene to a DNA sample Hardin submitted upon entering prison. He was sentenced to an additional 50 years. May 2023 -- HBO Max releases the real-crime documentary "Devil in the Ozarks" that detailed the rape of the Rogers school teacher and two-decade investigation to bring the perpetrator to justice. May 25, 2025 -- Arkansas Department of Corrections officials announce that Hardin escaped from the North Central Unit prison, while posing as a corrections officer. Surveillance video recorded Hardin at 2:50 p.m. local time pushing a loading cart and wearing what authorities initially described as the type of dark colored uniform worn by Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC) officers. He was waved through the sally port from which he escaped by a Corrections officer. authorities said. ADC officials later said that Hardin was "wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement." May 26, 2025 -- The U.S. Marshals Eastern Arkansas Fugitive Task Force announces it is assisting the Izard County Sheriff's Office in the search for Hardin, as officers from multiple law enforcement agencies searched the North Central Unit facility looking for the fugitive. Officers are seen by an ABC News crew stopping and searching vehicles and going door-to-door in communities around the prison. May 28, 2025 -- The search for Hardin continues.
7 days ago
'Evil man': Search continues for ex-police chief who escaped Arkansas prison
The manhunt continues for Grant Hardin, the escaped former Arkansas police chief serving a 30-year sentence for murder and rape, as officials enter their fourth day of search efforts. Grant Hardin, 56, who has been in prison since 2017 for first-degree murder and rape, escaped the Calico Rock North Central Unit on Sunday at approximately 2:50 p.m., the Stone County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Hardin escaped custody through a sally port by impersonating a corrections officer "in dress and manner," which caused another corrections officer "operating a secure gate to open the gate and allow Hardin to walk away from the North Central Unit," according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News. Surveillance footage shows Hardin pulling a cart, which was found abandoned outside the gates of the prison. Hardin remains at large on Wednesday. Officials said citizens in Izard County and surrounding counties should "stay vigilant, lock your house and vehicle doors and report any suspicious activity by calling 911 immediately," according to the Izard County Sheriff's Office. The U.S. Marshals and Eastern Arkansas Fugitive Task Force are also assisting in the search efforts, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals said on Tuesday. "I am very scared that this guy is going to hurt or kill somebody before this is over with," Stone County Sheriff Brandon Long told ABC News. Hardin, who was the former police chief of Gateway, Arkansas, worked in the prison kitchen, according to a spokesperson from the department of corrections, but it is unclear whether this job involved any access to the sally port he used to escape. He has had no significant disciplinary issues during his time at the prison, and there is no reason to believe anyone aided him in this escape, officials said. Nathan Smith, the former Benton County prosecutor who helped put Hardin behind bars, told Arkansas ABC affiliate KHBS the escaped inmate is "a sociopath." "He has no moral core or center that would prevent him from doing anything," Smith told KHBS. Hardin is "considered to be extremely dangerous and should not be approached," officials said. Authorities are using helicopters, drones, K9 officers and ATVs in their search for Hardin. Rugged terrain, densely wooded areas, hills and days of rain have been "hindering the ongoing search," a spokesperson with the department of corrections said. Deputies are continuing to monitor the roadways near the prison and are conducting security checkpoints in the area, officials said. Hardin pleaded guilty in October 2017 to first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of 59-year-old James Appleton, according to The Associated Press. He was also convicted of the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas, a crime highlighted in the 2023 television documentarty "Devil in the Ozarks." Cheryl Tillman, the mayor of Gateway, Arkansas, and Appleton's sister, told KHBS that Hardin is "an evil man" and said his escape is "almost like déjà vu all over again." Hardin is described as 6 feet tall and weighing 259 pounds.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Evil man': Search continues for ex-police chief who escaped Arkansas prison
The manhunt continues for Grant Hardin, the escaped former Arkansas police chief serving a 30-year sentence for murder and rape, as officials enter their fourth day of search efforts. Grant Hardin, 56, who has been in prison since 2017 for first-degree murder and rape, escaped the Calico Rock North Central Unit on Sunday at approximately 2:50 p.m., the Stone County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Hardin escaped custody through a sally port by impersonating a corrections officer "in dress and manner," which caused another corrections officer "operating a secure gate to open the gate and allow Hardin to walk away from the North Central Unit," according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News. Surveillance footage shows Hardin pulling a cart, which was found abandoned outside the gates of the prison. Hardin remains at large on Wednesday. Officials said citizens in Izard County and surrounding counties should "stay vigilant, lock your house and vehicle doors and report any suspicious activity by calling 911 immediately," according to the Izard County Sheriff's Office. The U.S. Marshals and Eastern Arkansas Fugitive Task Force are also assisting in the search efforts, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals said on Tuesday. MORE: 'Sociopath': Former Arkansas police chief sentenced for murder and rape escapes from prison "I am very scared that this guy is going to hurt or kill somebody before this is over with," Stone County Sheriff Brandon Long told ABC News. Hardin, who was the former police chief of Gateway, Arkansas, worked in the prison kitchen, according to a spokesperson from the department of corrections, but it is unclear whether this job involved any access to the sally port he used to escape. He has had no significant disciplinary issues during his time at the prison, and there is no reason to believe anyone aided him in this escape, officials said. Nathan Smith, the former Benton County prosecutor who helped put Hardin behind bars, told Arkansas ABC affiliate KHBS the escaped inmate is "a sociopath." "He has no moral core or center that would prevent him from doing anything," Smith told KHBS. Hardin is "considered to be extremely dangerous and should not be approached," officials said. Authorities are using helicopters, drones, K9 officers and ATVs in their search for Hardin. Rugged terrain, densely wooded areas, hills and days of rain have been "hindering the ongoing search," a spokesperson with the department of corrections said. Deputies are continuing to monitor the roadways near the prison and are conducting security checkpoints in the area, officials said. Hardin pleaded guilty in October 2017 to first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of 59-year-old James Appleton, according to The Associated Press. He was also convicted of the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas, a crime highlighted in the 2023 television documentarty "Devil in the Ozarks." Cheryl Tillman, the mayor of Gateway, Arkansas, and Appleton's sister, told KHBS that Hardin is "an evil man" and said his escape is "almost like déjà vu all over again." Hardin is described as 6 feet tall and weighing 259 pounds. Authorities said anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately. 'Evil man': Search continues for ex-police chief who escaped Arkansas prison originally appeared on
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Evil man': Search continues for ex-police chief who escaped Arkansas prison
The manhunt continues for Grant Hardin, the escaped former Arkansas police chief serving a 30-year sentence for murder and rape, as officials enter their fourth day of search efforts. Grant Hardin, 56, who has been in prison since 2017 for first-degree murder and rape, escaped the Calico Rock North Central Unit on Sunday at approximately 2:50 p.m., the Stone County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Hardin escaped custody through a sally port by impersonating a corrections officer "in dress and manner," which caused another corrections officer "operating a secure gate to open the gate and allow Hardin to walk away from the North Central Unit," according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News. Surveillance footage shows Hardin pulling a cart, which was found abandoned outside the gates of the prison. Hardin remains at large on Wednesday. Officials said citizens in Izard County and surrounding counties should "stay vigilant, lock your house and vehicle doors and report any suspicious activity by calling 911 immediately," according to the Izard County Sheriff's Office. The U.S. Marshals and Eastern Arkansas Fugitive Task Force are also assisting in the search efforts, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals said on Tuesday. MORE: 'Sociopath': Former Arkansas police chief sentenced for murder and rape escapes from prison "I am very scared that this guy is going to hurt or kill somebody before this is over with," Stone County Sheriff Brandon Long told ABC News. Hardin, who was the former police chief of Gateway, Arkansas, worked in the prison kitchen, according to a spokesperson from the department of corrections, but it is unclear whether this job involved any access to the sally port he used to escape. He has had no significant disciplinary issues during his time at the prison, and there is no reason to believe anyone aided him in this escape, officials said. Nathan Smith, the former Benton County prosecutor who helped put Hardin behind bars, told Arkansas ABC affiliate KHBS the escaped inmate is "a sociopath." "He has no moral core or center that would prevent him from doing anything," Smith told KHBS. Hardin is "considered to be extremely dangerous and should not be approached," officials said. Authorities are using helicopters, drones, K9 officers and ATVs in their search for Hardin. Rugged terrain, densely wooded areas, hills and days of rain have been "hindering the ongoing search," a spokesperson with the department of corrections said. Deputies are continuing to monitor the roadways near the prison and are conducting security checkpoints in the area, officials said. Hardin pleaded guilty in October 2017 to first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of 59-year-old James Appleton, according to The Associated Press. He was also convicted of the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas, a crime highlighted in the 2023 television documentarty "Devil in the Ozarks." Cheryl Tillman, the mayor of Gateway, Arkansas, and Appleton's sister, told KHBS that Hardin is "an evil man" and said his escape is "almost like déjà vu all over again." Hardin is described as 6 feet tall and weighing 259 pounds. Authorities said anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately. 'Evil man': Search continues for ex-police chief who escaped Arkansas prison originally appeared on
