Arkansas officials blame prison employees for 'Devil in the Ozarks' escape
Corrections officials say two Arkansas prison employees errantly helped Grant Hardin, the former police chief convicted of murder and rape, escape from a prison in May.
A kitchen supervisor, who left Hardin unchecked on a loading dock, and a tower guard, who let him out of the gates, have been fired, according to Benny Magness, chairman of the state Board of Corrections. Magness attributed Hardin's escape at the North Central Unit, in Calico Rock, to "human error."
Hardin evaded capture for 12 days in nearby woods.
'All the stars somewhat had to line up for Hardin, and two employees violated policy that allowed this to happen,' Magness told state lawmakers in a July 10 hearing. 'The policies were in place. This should not have happened.'
On May 25, a kitchen supervisor allegedly left Hardin, 56, alone on a loading dock. Hardin is accused of changing into a fake law enforcement uniform, which was colored with Sharpie markers and included an old kitchen apron to mimic a vest. Authorities say he made a homemade badge from a can lid, button and Bible cover. He had stashed away his fake uniform in the kitchen's chemical storage area, where he had supervised access as part of his kitchen job, Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, said in an email.
Then, the guard atop the tower opened two back gates letting Hardin out, without checking if he was actually an officer, Magness said. Hardin also brought wooden pallets he fashioned into a ladder and a box with food, Champion said. Hardin was captured in a sweeping manhunt on June 6 about a mile-and-a-half from the facility.
The fired officers' names weren't released.
Hardin was serving an 80-year combined prison sentence. He first pleaded guilty to the 2017 murder of James Appleton, a water department employee. Following his conviction, DNA evidence connected him to raping a teacher at gunpoint at school in 1997. He pleaded guilty to the rape charges.
Hardin faces a felony charge related to his escape, court records show. He has pleaded not guilty. A jury trial has been scheduled for the fall.
Jeanine Santucci of USA TODAY contributed to this report.
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USA Today
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