Latest news with #GrantHardin
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
How evil killer 'Devil in the Ozarks' used 'tea, coffee and permanent marker' to escape from prison
The 'Devil in the Ozarks' made the makeshift prison guard uniform he wore while seamlessly escaping the facility using tea, coffee and markers, investigators believe. Grant Hardin, a convicted murderer and rapist whose notoriety led to a television documentary, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock on May 25. After nearly two weeks on the run, authorities tracked down and captured the 56-year-old criminal roughly a mile in the woods, roughly a mile from the prison he casually walked out of dressed as a guard. Now, the Arkansas Department of Corrections (DOC) is piecing together how he pulled it off. 'This wasn't something he came up with that Sunday morning when he woke up,' Rand Champion, a spokesman for the Arkansas DOC told The New York Times. 'This was well thought out and was something he had been planning for a while.' Hardin spent months studying prison schedules and plotting for the right moment to act. A key aspect of his jaw-dropping escape was the makeshift guard uniform he wore - which he likely used tea, coffee and permanent marker to create. Using the unsuspecting items the kitchen is stocked with, investigators speculate he dyed one of his old white uniforms over time. 'It looked black,' Champion told the outlet. 'He either dyed it or colored it in with Sharpies over time. Maybe both.' Hardin, a former police chief with more than 30 years of law enforcement experience, had ample knowledge of how he was supposed to look and carry himself to fit in with the guards, Champion said. Wearing his handcrafted disguise - a black shirt, pants, cap and what looked like a correctional vest - he rolled a cart past a checkpoint, where a guard opened a fence for him. Security video captured the moment he walked out of the prison's confines - taking confident strides and showing no signs of panic. Investigators said they need to further interview Hardin and take a closer look at what he was wearing to truly know what happened leading up to the chilling breakout. Corrections officials have only determined that he did not have any help putting his makeshift uniform together. Champion previously noted 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. Hardin has been returned to the custody of the Arkansas Department of Corrections, where he faces not just his previous sentences but new charges stemming from his escape Meanwhile, Hardin pleaded not guilty to the escape charge when he appeared in court on Tuesday. He is now in custody at Varner Supermax, more than 200 miles away from where he escaped. The horrifying nature of Hardin's story has stunned not only his Arkansas community but the nation. Once sworn to protect and serve, Hardin is now best known for the brutal slaying that sent him to prison in 2017. He shot James Appleton, a water department employee, in the head on the side of a road in a small town called Gateway. Police found the victim's body inside a car. A witness identified Hardin and the gunman. The disgraced police chief pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 30 years. While serving his time, a DNA sample taken in prison linked him to the 1997 rape of an elementary schoolteacher in Rogers. Hardin pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and rape of Amy Harrison, who he assaulted at gunpoint in a school bathroom. As a result, another 50 years was tacked onto his sentence. His gut-wrenching crimes and his law enforcement background left the communities surrounding the North Central Unit horrified when he escaped the mixed-custody facility after nearly three decades behind bars. 'He's just an evil man,' Cheryl Tillman, Appleton's heartbroken sister, told NPR while Hardin was on the run. 'He is no good for society.' Tillman said that Hardin's capture was a 'big sigh of relief' for her whole family. 'We don't have to walk around, turning around all the time, thinking somebody´s on our back,' Tillman said, emphasizing her appreciation for the officers who helped capture Hardin. Before cultivating fear with his masterminded exit strategy, Hardin found himself under a spotlight in 2023, when an HBO documentary called the 'Devil in the Ozarks' aired. The tear-jerking film featured interviews with everyone from the victim of the 1997 rape and sisters of the murder victim, to Hardin's family. The documentary revealed a crucial run-in between Hardin and Appleton in the Spring of 2016 in which Appleton stood up to Hardin about fixing a police car. 'He was out chasing cars for no reason,' Tillman said. 'He was pulling guns on the citizens here in Gateway and then as time went on with him being the police chief things just started going down hill fast.' Then-Gateway Mayor Andrew Tillman, who was Appleton's brother-in-law, described being on the phone with him when he was shot, while local resident John Bray spoke about driving past Appleton's car when the shooting happened. He was the first to find his body and identified Hardin as the shooter. 'I heard what I thought was someone had fired a rifle,' he said. 'I went back and I seen it looked like he had been shot,' he added, wiping away tears. It revealed key details about the resentment Hardin felt toward Appleton, as well as depicting accounts of the moments right before and after the murder. A Benton County Sheriff's Office lieutenant described several times when they got into each other's faces and the dislike they both felt toward one another. The city council gave him an ultimatum: resign or be fired. He stepped down four months after taking the position and nine months later, he killed Appleton. The documentary also includes security video of Hardin at a restaurant with his family just after the shooting and the police interrogation in which he tells law enforcement he has 'the right to be silent' and opted not to give a statement. It also gave insight into his troubled and scattered career. He worked at the Fayetteville Police Department from August 1990 to May 1991, but was let go because he did not meet the standards of his training period. Hardin worked about six months at the Huntsville Police Department before resigning, but records do not give a reason for his resignation, according to Police Chief Todd Thomas, who joined the department after Hardin worked there. Hardin later worked at the Eureka Springs Police Department from 1993 to 1996. Former Chief Earl Hyatt said Hardin resigned because Hyatt was going to fire him over incidents that included the use of excessive force. 'He did not need to be a police officer at all,' Hyatt told television station KNWA.
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
Ex-police chief who escaped from Arkansas prison pleads not guilty
Ex-police chief who escaped from Arkansas prison pleads not guilty Show Caption Hide Caption Ex-Arkansas police chief imprisoned for murder escapes prison Grant Hardin, a former Gateway, Arkansas, police chief serving time for murder and rape, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock on May 25. unbranded - Newsworthy A former police chief who was recaptured earlier this month has pleaded not guilty in connection to his high-profile escape from an Arkansas prison, where he was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. Grant Hardin, known as the "Devil in the Ozarks," made his first court appearance through a video call on June 17, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to second-degree escape. During the hearing, Hardin, 56, was found indigent, and a public defender was assigned to his case, court records show. A pretrial hearing was scheduled for Oct. 21, and a jury trial was set to take place from Nov. 5 to Nov. 7. On June 6, Hardin was captured just a mile-and-a-half west of the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock, Arkansas, according to state Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion. He escaped the facility on May 25 by disguising himself as a corrections officer. The search for Hardin, which lasted about 12 days, was challenged by the mountainous and rough terrain in the Ozark Mountains. After his capture, Hardin was transferred to the Varner Unit, a maximum security prison about 75 miles southeast of Little Rock. Hardin, a former police chief in Gateway, a small town near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving decades-long sentences for murder and rape. He gained notoriety after becoming the subject of "Devil in the Ozarks," a 2023 TV documentary about his crimes. Hardin's escape remains under investigation, according to authorities. The escape followed the May 16 jailbreak of 10 inmates in New Orleans, which sparked fear and anger among the community and prompted calls for accountability. Eight of those escapees have since been captured while at least 16 accomplices have been arrested. Like true crime? Check out Witness: A library of true crime stories Who is Grant Hardin? Between 1990 and 2016, Hardin had bounced around police departments, USA TODAY previously reported. He then became the chief of police in Gateway in January 2016. He resigned from his position in April 2016 and was later hired at the Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center in Fayetteville, where he worked until his arrest. In 2017, Hardin pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the shooting and killing of Gateway water department employee James Appleton, according to court records. The fatal shooting had occurred in February of the same year. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder. Following his murder conviction, a DNA test connected Hardin to the 1997 rape of a school teacher in nearby Rogers, Arkansas, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case. Court records showed that Hardin pleaded guilty to two counts of rape in 2019 and was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison for each count consecutively. Shortly before 3 p.m. local time on May 25, Hardin escaped the Calico Rock prison. He had disguised himself as a corrections officer and walked to an exit gate, according to court records. He then tricked a real officer into opening the gate, allowing him to leave the medium-security facility on foot, court records said. Hardin's escape sparked a widespread manhunt that involved hundreds of local, state, and federal law enforcement personnel, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. The FBI had offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his arrest. On June 6, Hardin was found just west of the Calico Rock prison, Champion said. In a photo of his arrest, Hardin was seen sitting on the ground in a vegetated area with his hands behind his back in a baseball cap, a dirty T-shirt, and pants. 'How did they let this happen?' A jailbreak, a monthlong manhunt and a push to fix New Orleans' broken lockup Authorities probing into escape, 12-day evasion Authorities are still investigating how Hardin eluded law enforcement for about 12 days. Champion told NBC News that authorities do not believe that he had assistance from inside the prison or on the outside. In an interview with The New York Times, Champion said authorities believe Hardin may have used his experience in the Calico Rock prison's kitchen to help plan and carry out his escape. He added that Hardin may have used his kitchen assignment to observe staff movements, access restricted areas, and obtain materials for his disguise, the newspaper reported. Authorities also believe Hardin had spent months preparing for escape, which may include watching the prison's routines from inside the facility, according to The Times. "This wasn't something he came up with that Sunday morning when he woke up," Champion told The Times. "This was well thought out and was something he had been planning for a while." The Arkansas Department of Corrections did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on June 17. Contributing: Michael Loria, Jeanine Santucci, and James Powel, USA TODAY
New York Times
3 days ago
- New York Times
Prison Kitchen Job Apparently Helped Ex-Police Chief Escape, Officials Say
A former small-town police chief and convicted murderer who escaped from a prison in Calico Rock Ark., on May 25 apparently used his job in the prison's kitchen to help plan and carry out his escape, according to prison officials. They believe that the prisoner, Grant Hardin, took advantage of his kitchen assignment to study staff movements, access restricted areas and gather materials for a disguise that helped him slip past security, Rand Champion, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, said in an interview. Mr. Hardin, 56, was captured on June 6; he pleaded not guilty to second-degree escape on Tuesday. Mr. Hardin spent months preparing, the authorities believe, watching the prison's routines from inside before picking the right moment to make his move. 'This wasn't something he came up with that Sunday morning when he woke up,' Mr. Champion said. 'This was well thought out and was something he had been planning for a while.' Officials have started to interview Mr. Hardin, but they say that won't know for sure how he pulled off his escape until they finish speaking with him — or at least examine the altered uniform. Still, early evidence — including prison video and an examination of kitchen utensils and food — suggests he had used his kitchen job to help him alter one of his old white prison uniforms. The prison kitchen is stocked with tea, coffee, spices and markers used for labeling, Mr. Champion said. Mr. Hardin may have dyed an old prison uniform with tea, darkened it with coffee, used ink from a permanent marker — or, possibly, all three, Mr. Champion said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Former police chief known as the ‘Devil in the Ozarks' pleads not guilty to a prison escape charge
Images released by the Arkansas Department of Corrections show the recapture of Grant Hardin, an ex-police chief and convicted killer, in Calico Rock, Ark., on June 6, 2025. (Arkansas Department of Corrections via AP) LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A convicted murderer and former police chief known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge stemming from his recent escape from an Arkansas prison. Grant Hardin, who was captured June 6, appeared at the hearing via video. He pleaded not guilty to second-degree escape, was found to be indigent and was appointed a public defender. Hardin was captured 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) northwest of the Calico Rock prison from which he escaped on May 25. Authorities said he escaped by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform. After his capture, Hardin was transferred to a maximum security prison in Varner, a small community about 65 miles (124 kilometres) southeast of Little Rock. A jury trial was set for the week of Nov. 5, with a pretrial hearing scheduled for Oct. 21. Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway, near the Arkansas-Missouri border, is serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary 'Devil in the Ozarks.' A spokesperson said Hardin's escape remains under investigation. Legislators also plan to review it.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Former police chief known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' pleads not guilty to a prison escape charge
A convicted murderer and former police chief known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks" pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge stemming from his recent escape from an Arkansas prison. Grant Hardin, who was captured June 6, appeared at the hearing via video. He pleaded not guilty to second-degree escape, was found to be indigent and was appointed a public defender. Hardin was captured 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the Calico Rock prison from which he escaped on May 25. Authorities said he escaped by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform. After his capture, Hardin was transferred to a maximum security prison in Varner, a small community about 65 miles (124 kilometers) southeast of Little Rock. A jury trial was set for the week of Nov. 5, with a pretrial hearing scheduled for Oct. 21. Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway, near the Arkansas- Missouri border, is serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary 'Devil in the Ozarks.' A spokesperson said Hardin's escape remains under investigation. Legislators also plan to review it.
