Latest news with #theOzarks'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Devil in the Ozarks' Grant Hardin captured by Border Patrol team
(NewsNation) — A special tactical unit of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is being credited with helping capture fugitive Grant Hardin, the so-called 'Devil in the Ozarks' who escaped from an Arkansas prison May 25. Multiple sources tell NewsNation correspondent Ali Bradley that three agents from the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, or BORTAC, apprehended Hardin on Friday. BORTAC, which is based out of El Paso, Texas, has members deployed throughout the country. Protesters confront ICE agents in cities across US Federal officials said BORTAC agents out of the Rio Grande Valley Sector had been assigned to search for Hardin. Details were still emerging about Hardin's capture, which was announced Friday by the Stone County, Arkansas, Sheriff's Office. CBP said BORTAC agents have 'advanced search capabilities' and extensive training in navigating complex terrain such as the region into which Hardin disappeared. Chief Border Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez said the unit's 'unique capabilities and training are well-suited for the demands of this critical mission.' The BORTAC team is often called in when all other options for search assistance have been exhausted, federal officials said BORTAC agents were also called into action when reports emerged of an active shooter at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in 2022. Texas Monthly reported at the time that BORTAC agents were investigating stash houses on the border just west of Uvalde when agents were dispatched to the school where the shooting took place. BORTAC agents were later credited with fatally shooting the suspect in the high-profile school shooting. The presence of border agents caused some to question why federal immigration agents were involved, but agency officials told the outlet that agents are routinely present in Uvalde, which is located about 80 miles from northern Mexico. Grand theft cargo: Sinaloa cartel targets US rail companies BORTAC was also involved in the 2023 capture of Danelo Cavalcante, who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison and was captured after a two-week manhunt. Cavalcante, a convicted murderer, was located as part of a multi-unit search in which officers were able to surround him in a wooded area of the state without his knowledge. The specialized Border Patrol team was also called in to assist with another jailbreak at a maximum-security prison in New York in 2015. Agents shot and killed one of the escaped inmates, Richard Matt. In that operation, BORTAC agents swooped into a wooded area by helicopter and fatally shot Matt after he reportedly pointed a shotgun at agents, NBC News reported. Agents were also dispatched to the Los Angeles riots in 1992, in which they assisted local police officers in dealing with the civil unrest that followed the police-involved beating of Rodney King. BORTAC agents are also sometimes assigned to provide security assistance at high-profile events like the Super Bowl, to assist with response to natural disasters and to assist with immigration operations in sanctuary cities, according to reports. BORTAC was created in 1984 to serve as a civil disobedience function to respond to riots at legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service detention centers, CBP officials said. The tactical team was quickly shifted to assist with high-risk warrant service, intelligence and reconnaissance missions and well as foreign law enforcement. The training for BORTAC agents is designed to mirror aspects of the U.S. Special Operations Forces, CBP officials said. Agents are put through training that can often last more than a month, which involves physical testing and pistol qualification, as well as swimming, treading water and drown-proofing. Agents who pass the physical portion of the training are then put through weeks of intensive training in small unit tactics, defensive tactics and airmobile operations, the agency said. The tactical training involves putting trainees through sleep deprivation and stress conditions training, as well as learning advanced techniques in weapons and tactics. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Marshals say ‘Devil in the Ozarks' who escaped Arkansas prison has likely fled state
Investigators believe that a convicted murderer and former police chief known as the 'Devil in the Ozark s' has likely fled Arkansas after escaping from prison last month, a federal court filing released this week shows. A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Little Rock against Grant Hardin, who escaped prison last month, was released this week. Authorities have said Hardin escaped the Calico Rock prison in Arkansas by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform. In the complaint, Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert J. Hammons cites two previously publicized unconfirmed sightings of Hardin — one in central Arkansas and another in southern Missouri. 'Based on this information, investigators believe Hardin has fled the state of Arkansas to avoid recapture,' the filing said. 'He has extensive knowledge of the Ozark Mountain region, where he is believed to be possibly hiding in caves or rugged terrain that he is familiar with.' The complaint, first reported by The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, does not detail any other sightings of Hardin or evidence of him fleeing the state. Arkansas authorities have previously said they're focusing on north-central Arkansas and tips of sightings elsewhere so far have not panned out. Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary 'Devil in the Ozarks.' Hardin was housed in a maximum-security wing of the primarily medium security prison, formally known as the North Central Unit. Officials are investigating whether a job Hardin held in the kitchen helped in his escape, including whether it gave him access to materials he could have used to fashion his makeshift uniform. The Arkansas Department of Corrections this week released a new photo rendering of Hardin, depicting what he may look like now.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Marshals say 'Devil in the Ozarks' who escaped Arkansas prison has likely fled state
Investigators believe that a convicted murderer and former police chief known as the 'Devil in the Ozark s" has likely fled Arkansas after escaping from prison last month, a federal court filing released this week shows. A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Little Rock against Grant Hardin, who escaped prison last month, was released this week. Authorities have said Hardin escaped the Calico Rock prison in Arkansas by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform. In the complaint, Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert J. Hammons cites two previously publicized unconfirmed sightings of Hardin — one in central Arkansas and another in southern Missouri. 'Based on this information, investigators believe Hardin has fled the state of Arkansas to avoid recapture,' the filing said. 'He has extensive knowledge of the Ozark Mountain region, where he is believed to be possibly hiding in caves or rugged terrain that he is familiar with.' The complaint, first reported by The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, does not detail any other sightings of Hardin or evidence of him fleeing the state. Arkansas authorities have previously said they're focusing on north-central Arkansas and tips of sightings elsewhere so far have not panned out. Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary 'Devil in the Ozarks.' Hardin was housed in a maximum-security wing of the primarily medium security prison, formally known as the North Central Unit. Officials are investigating whether a job Hardin held in the kitchen helped in his escape, including whether it gave him access to materials he could have used to fashion his makeshift uniform. The Arkansas Department of Corrections this week released a new photo rendering of Hardin, depicting what he may look like now.
