Latest news with #DevilintheOzarks'
Winnipeg Free Press
11-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Arkansas prison employees fired after ‘Devil in the Ozarks' escape
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Two employees at an Arkansas prison where an inmate known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' escaped have been fired for policy violations, corrections officials said Thursday as they faced questions from lawmakers who said the escape points to deeper problems. The head of the Arkansas Board of Corrections told state lawmakers the violations allowed Grant Hardin to escape from the Calico Rock prison wearing a makeshift law enforcement uniform on May 25. But officials have said there was no evidence employees knowingly assisted Hardin's escape. One of the fired employees had allowed Hardin onto an outside kitchen dock unsupervised and the other employee worked in a tower and had opened the gate Hardin walked through without confirming his identity, Chairman Benny Magness said. 'If either one of them would have been following policy, it wouldn't have happened,' Magness told members of the Legislative Council's charitable, penal, and correctional institutions subcommittee. Hardin was captured 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the Calico Rock prison on June 6. Authorities said he escaped by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform. Magness said the outfit was crafted from an inmate uniform and kitchen apron dyed black using a marker while a soup can lid and a Bible cover were fashioned to look like a badge. Lawmakers said the escape pointed to systemic problems beyond the two employees — including how Hardin was able to fashion the fake uniform without guards noticing. 'I think we've got major issues here that need to be dealt with,' said Republican Sen. Matt McKee, who co-chairs the legislative panel that oversees corrections. 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.' After his capture, Hardin was transferred to a maximum security prison in Varner, a small community about 65 miles (125 kilometers) southeast of Little Rock. Hardin has pleaded not guilty to an escape charge and is set to go on trial in November. Hardin held a job in the kitchen in the prison and had not had any disciplinary problems during his time there. In addition to the uniform, Hardin fashioned a ladder out of wooden pallets that were on the dock and also took peanut butter sandwiches from the prison to survive on after his escape, corrections officials told lawmakers Thursday. Hardin planned to use the ladder to scale the fence and escape if the gate wasn't opened for him, said Dexter Payne, director of the division of correction. 'There are a lot of things he did unnoticed and unaware,' Republican Sen. Ben Gilmore said during the hearing. 'I don't think you can blame just two people for that.' Members of the panel also said Hardin's escape points to the need to scrutinize a classification system that placed a convicted murderer in what's primarily a medium-security facility. Payne said a critical incident review of the escape planned later this month may determine if other employees will face firings, demotions or disciplinary actions. It also will determine what other policy changes may be needed, he said. 'There's nobody that's more embarrassed about it than me,' said Thomas Hurst, warden of the prison, formally called the North Central Unit. 'It's not good. We failed, and I understand it.'
Winnipeg Free Press
17-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Former police chief known as the ‘Devil in the Ozarks' pleads not guilty to a prison escape charge
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — 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. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. 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.
USA Today
07-06-2025
- USA Today
A 12-day search ends less than 2 miles away: How 'Devil in the Ozarks' killer was caught
A 12-day search ends less than 2 miles away: How 'Devil in the Ozarks' killer was caught 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 The former Arkansas police chief who escaped prison disguised as a guard only made it about a mile-and-a-half away from the facility in the 12 days before he was captured, officials said. Convicted murderer and rapist Grant Hardin was found at about 3 p.m. on June 6 west of the North Central Unit state prison near Moccasin Creek in Izard County, Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion said in a statement. In a photo of his arrest, Hardin is seen sitting on the ground in a vegetated area with his hands behind his back in a baseball cap and dirty T-shirt and pants. Hardin, 56, was in prison serving a decadeslong sentence for the 2017 murder of water department employee James Appleton in Gateway, Arkansas, and the 1997 rape of a school teacher in nearby Rogers. He's known as the "Devil in the Ozarks," the name of a 2023 TV documentary about his crimes. His escape on May 25 involved dressing up in a makeshift outfit to disguise himself as a corrections officer, tricking a real officer into opening a gate and allowing him to walk out of the medium-security facility, court records said. He will now be housed at the high-security Varner Unit in Gould, Arkansas, Champion said. Here's what we know about Hardin's capture and escape: Discover WITNESS: Access our exclusive collection of true crime stories, podcasts, videos and more How was Hardin caught, ending 12-day manhunt? Authorities said tracking dogs picked up Hardin's scent and were able to lead them to Hardin. Hundreds of law enforcement officers at the local, state and federal level spent nearly two weeks searching for Hardin, using dogs, drones and aircraft, at times hampered by severe weather. Moccasin Creek where he was found has seen high water due to heavy rainfall in the last two weeks, which may have limited Hardin's ability to move around. It also prevented authorities from finding him sooner. Champion said search teams had looked through the area before but couldn't fully investigate because of the high water. Though Hardin was previously thought to have left the state, Champion said investigators now believe he never got very far at all from the prison. He was fingerprinted and assessed at the North Central Unit before being moved to the Varner Unit, Champion said. He will be interviewed in the coming days. How did he escape? Hardin slipped away from the prison the afternoon of May 25 wearing a "makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement," the Arkansas Department of Corrections said. "Inmate Hardin impersonated a corrections officer in dress and manner causing the Corrections Officer operating a secure gate to open the gate and allow Inmate Hardin to walk away from the North Central Unit," Special Agent Dennis Simons of the Izard County Sheriff's Office wrote in an arrest affidavit. A photo from surveillance footage showed Hardin wearing the outfit and pushing a loaded cart as he escaped. Champion said Hardin was gone for about 20 minutes when an officer noticed he was missing. 'Devil in the Ozarks' killer: Why was it so hard to find Grant Hardin? His escape came amid an ongoing weekslong search for escaped inmates in Louisiana. On May 16, 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail; two are still on the run as of June 7. Who is Grant Hardin? Hardin pleaded guilty to the Feb. 23, 2017, murder of Appleton. Appleton's brother-in-law and the mayor of Gateway at the time, Andrew Tillman, told police he was on the phone with Appleton while Appleton was driving his truck. Appleton pulled over so he wouldn't lose signal while on the phone with Tillman, Tillman told investigators. Tillman heard what sounded like a car door slamming shut, then nothing. A witness also told police they saw someone pulled over behind the truck in a car and heard a gunshot, and identified the driver as Hardin. Appleton was found dead in his truck with a gunshot to the side of his head and face. After his conviction, his DNA was matched with that from an unsolved rape case in 1997, in which a teacher said she was attacked while at school by a man who held her at gunpoint, according to court records. Hardin pleaded guilty to charges related to the rape. Hardin's combined convictions added up to 80 years in prison sentences. Hardin was the chief of police in Gateway for about four months in 2016, the Associated Press reported. He was also terminated from roles at other police departments, local outlets have reported.
Toronto Star
07-06-2025
- Toronto Star
Ex-police chief and convicted killer who escaped from an Arkansas prison has been captured
A former police chief and convicted killer known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' was captured by law enforcement 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the prison he escaped from following a massive, nearly two-week-long manhunt in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas, authorities announced Friday. A former police chief and convicted killer known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' was captured by law enforcement 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the prison he escaped from following a massive, nearly two-week-long manhunt in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas, authorities announced Friday. Grant Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. Eventually, his notoriety led to a TV documentary, 'Devil in the Ozarks.'
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
FBI joins search for prison escapee known as 'Devil in the Ozarks'
Law enforcement officers in Arkansas were on the hunt Wednesday for a former police chief who broke out of a state facility where he was imprisoned for rape and murder. Grant Hardin, 56, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Arkansas, on Sunday, wearing a "makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement," according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Hardin, the former police chief in Gateway, Arkansas, was serving decadeslong prison sentences for the 2017 murder of James Appleton and the 1997 rape of a school teacher, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. The rape became the subject of a 2023 documentary titled "Devil in the Ozarks," according to the documentary's IMDB page. "We've since been in touch with the subjects of that film and law enforcement and are praying for Hardin's immediate capture in the name of justice and the victims and their families' peace of mind," Ari Mark, one of the executive producers of the documentary, told USA TODAY. The FBI, Department of Corrections, Arkansas State Police and local police were working to find Hardin, officials said. Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, said in a Wednesday press briefing that the search area has expanded but rainy and overcast conditions have limited the use of drones and helicopters, in addition to curtailing the effectiveness of tracking dogs. Who is Grant Hardin? A closer look at the 'Devil in the Ozarks' Like true crime? Check out Witness: A library of true crime stories In 2017, Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Appleton, according to a plea agreement. Appleton's brother-in-law, who was the mayor of Gateway at the time, told investigators that he was on the phone with Appleton during the shooting, according to a probable cause affidavit. A witness told investigators he saw a white car parked behind Appleton's truck, heard a loud bang and saw the white car speed away. The witness checked the truck and found Appleton dead, according to the affidavit. A DNA test conducted following the murder conviction connected Hardin to the 1997 rape of a school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case. She was attacked at gunpoint after leaving her classroom to go to a restroom near the teacher's lounge, according to the affidavit. Hardin pleaded guilty to two counts of rape in 2019 and was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison for each count consecutively, according to the plea agreement. Before becoming the police chief in Gateway, Hardin worked at the Fayetteville Police Department from Aug. 6, 1990, to May 22, 1991, KHBS/KHOG reported. The department's chief of police at the time said he terminated Hardin because his efforts "fall short of the average probationary officer" and he had a "tendency to not accept constructive criticism along with indecisiveness under stressful situations." Hardin then moved to the Eureka Springs Police Department, where he worked from April 1993 to October 1996. The department's former police chief said Hardin made poor decisions on the job and used excessive force, according to KHBS/KHOG. In 2016, Hardin served as the chief of police for Gateway for about four months, the Associated Press reported. Hardin escaped from a facility located about 130 miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas, at 2:55 p.m. local time on May 25, according to the Department of Corrections. Champion said about 20 minutes passed before an officer discovered Hardin was missing. Hardin escaped through a secure entryway wearing "an ADC type uniform," the Stone County Sheriff's Office said. A photo shared by the sheriff's office shows Hardin pushing a loaded cart. Officials are investigating the events that led to the escape. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Search intensifies for 'Devil in the Ozarks' who fled Arkansas prison
