The prison where former Kansas State Police Chief was imprisoned for murder escaped prison
Grant Hardin, a former Arkansas gateway, fled from the North Central troops in Calico Rock on May 25th.
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Arkansas Prison Fugitive Grant Hardin – the so-called “Ozarks Murderer Devil” is in its second week in the rough terrain of mountainous areas.
Hardin, a 56-year-old former police chief, escaped from the North Central Unit in Carrico Rock, Arkansas on May 25, serving the time for the 2017 murder of James Appleton and rape of a school teacher in 1997, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
“Prisoner Hardin impersonated an attire officer as a corrections officer in his attire and method. Correctional officers operate a safe gate to open the gate, allowing prisoner Hardin to leave the North Central Unit,” wrote Dennis Simons, a special agent with the Izzard County Sheriff’s Office, in an arrest affidavit.
The subject of the 2023 documentary Devil in the Ozark is exactly what it is, as FBI and US Marshall services combine a $25,000 reward for information that leads to Hardin’s capture.
Land Champion, communications director for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, told News Nation on June 3 that the mountainous areas of the Ozarks made searching difficult.
“We have to try to access a fairly difficult place to maintain, so being able to get in there has been a number of challenges,” Champion told the network.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections released a photo Tuesday depicting “what he thinks looks similar in a week while he is on the road.” He added that mugshot represents a week’s worth of hair growth and that Hardin has been altered to slimmer due to limited food.
The champion said there were no new developments as of Tuesday night, but hints are being investigated.
Here’s a timeline of what we know about Grant Hardin.
Grant Hardin Timeline
Reports from local outlets and court records show
- August 6, 1990: Hardin is employed by Fayetteville Police Station
- 5News reported that department records said “conflict control” skills had not improved during training
- May 22, 1991: Hardin is fired by Fayetteville Police Station
- “Your field training officer, supervisor and I have observed your performance and determined that your efforts were not as good as the average probation officer,” said then Prime Minister Richard Watson, published by 5News. “Your tendency to not accept constructive criticism and indecision in stressful situations played a major role in my decision.”
- November 1, 1991: Hardin is employed by Huntsville Police Station
- June 2, 1992: Hardin leaves Huntsville Police Station
- July 20, 1993: Hardin is employed by Eureka Springs Police Station
- October 4, 1996: Hardin is fired by Eureka Springs Police Station
- November 9, 1997: Hardin attacks school teachers in Rogers, Arkansas
- The victim told investigators that she was attacked Sunday morning. She usually worked for the week to prepare, and noted that the church group was meeting in the school cafeteria, according to an affidavit filed at the time of the attack.
- According to the affidavit, she was attacked at muzzle after leaving the classroom from the teacher’s lounge for a toilet.
- 2009: Hardin begins his first term as Benton County District 1 Constable, according to 5News
- 2013: Hardin will begin his second term as a constable, according to 5News
- January 2016: Hardin is hired to become police chief at Gateway, Arkansas
- April 2016: Hardin resigns from his position following the ultimate from the city council, according to the Associated Press.
- “He’s an evil man,” City Council member and current Mayor of Gateway, Cheryl Tillman, told USA Today.
- November 21, 2016: According to KHBS/Khog, Hardin is employed at the Northwest Arkansas Community Correctional Center in Fayetteville. He will work there until he is arrested
- February 23, 2017: Hardin shoots James Appleton
- Appleton’s brother-in-law Andrew Tillman told Benton County Sheriff’s investigators he was on the phone with Appleton when he was shot and killed, according to an affidavit of the possible causes. Tillman was the mayor of Gateway, Arkansas when the shooting occurred.
- Witnesses told investigators he saw a white car parked behind Appleton’s truck and heard a loud yell and saw the white car slowed down. According to the affidavit, the witness turned back and checked the truck just to discover that Appleton was dead.
- October 19, 2017: Hardin pleaded guilty to murder
- February 12, 2018: Hardin is charged with rape in 1997 based on a DNA test taken after his murder conviction, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
- February 13, 2019: Hardin pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and has been sentenced to 25 years in prison at each count in a row.
- 2023: Documentary “Devil in the Ozarks” will be released
- “Even looking at the man’s face again made me tremble. I can only imagine what the victim and his family felt.”
Contribution: Jeanine Santucci – USA Today
