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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The former police chief, who was recaptured earlier this month, pleaded not guilty in connection with a famous escape from the Arkansas prison.
Grant Hardin, known as the “Ozarks Devil,” appeared in the first courthouse on June 17th via video call, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to the second escape.
During the hearing, 56-year-old Hardin was found poor and a public defense counsel was assigned to his case, court records show. A hearing for the trial was scheduled for October 21st, and a ju trial was scheduled to be held from November 5th to November 7th.
On June 6, Hardin was captured a mile and a half west of the North Central Unit Prison in Calico Rock, Arkansas, according to the State Department of Corrections spokesmanland Champion. He escaped the facility on May 25 by leaving it to a corrections officer.
The search for Hardin, which lasted about 12 days, was challenged by the mountainous and rough terrain of the Ozark Mountains. After his capture, Hardin was transferred to the Burner squad, the largest security prison, about 75 miles southeast of Little Rock.
Hardin, a former police chief at Gateway, a small town near the Arkansas Missouri border, served decades of prison for murder and rape. He gained notoriety after becoming the subject of “The Devil of the Ozarks,” a 2023 television documentary about his crimes.
Authorities say Hardin’s escape remains under investigation. The escape followed the May 16 escape of 10 New Orleans prisoners, which sparked fear and anger among the community and called for accountability. Eight of them were subsequently captured, with at least 16 accomplices arrested.
Who is Grant Hardin?
Between 1990 and 2016, Hardin was bouncing around the police station, USA Today reported earlier. He then became Gateway’s police chief in January 2016.
He resigned from his position in April 2016 and was later hired at the Northwest Arkansas Community Correctional Center in Fayetteville, where he even worked for an arrest.
In 2017, Hardin pleaded guilty to first-degree murder to the shooting and murder of James Appleton, a Gateway water department employee, according to court records. The fatal shooting occurred in February of the same year. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison for murder.
Following his murder conviction, DNA testing connected Hardin to rape a school teacher in Rogers, near Rogers, Arkansas, according to an affidavit filed in the case. Court records show Hardin pleaded guilty to two counts of rape in 2019 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a consecutive count.
Before 3pm local time on May 25th, Hardin fled Calico Rock Prison. Court records show that he disguised himself as an amendment officer and walked to the exit gate.
He then tricked a real officer into opening the gate and allowed him to walk away from the medium security facility, court records said.
Hardin’s escape caused a widespread manhunt involving hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement officials, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. The FBI was offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information that led to an arrest.
On June 6, Hardin was discovered just west of Calikorock Prison, Champion said. In the photo of his arrest, Hardin sat on the ground in the vegetation area with his hands behind his back in a baseball cap, dirty T-shirt and pants.
Authorities investigating escape, 12 days of avoidance
Authorities are still investigating how Hardin escaped law enforcement for about 12 days. The champion told NBC News that authorities do not believe they receive assistance from within or outside the prison.
In an interview with the New York Times, the champion said authorities believe Hardin used his experience in the Karico Rock prison kitchen to help him escape and execute. He added that Hardin may have used kitchen assignments to observe staff movements, access restricted areas and obtain materials for his disguise, the newspaper reported.
Authorities also believe Hardin spent months preparing for the escape. This includes watching prison routines from within the facility, according to the Times.
“This wasn’t something he came up with that Sunday morning when he woke up,” the Champion told The Times. “This was well thought out and something he had planned for a while.”
The Arkansas Department of Corrections did not respond to a request for comment from USA Today on June 17th.
Contributors: Michael Loria, Janine Santic, James Powell, USA Today
