Chronology of the Arkansas Manhunt: Fugitive Grant Hardin, from Police Chief to Fugitive
Former Police Chief Grant Hardin, Previously Sentenced for Murder and Rape, Currently on the Run after Escaping from an Arkansas Prison
A massive manhunt is underway in Arkansas for Grant Hardin, a 56-year-old man who served as the police chief of Gateway, a small town near the Arkansas-Missouri border. Hardin, described as a "sociopath" by those who have encountered him, escaped from a correctional facility on Sunday, prompting national headlines.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in an Izard County court, Hardin walked out of a guarded gate at the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Arkansas, dressed as a law enforcement officer. He was pushing a loading cart in surveillance footage obtained from the prison. The affidavit alleges that Hardin impersonated a corrections officer, causing the corrections officer operating the gate to open it and allow him to leave the facility unchallenged.
Hardin had been serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder after pleading guilty to the fatal shooting of a 59-year-old water department worker in Benton County, Arkansas, in 2017. Details about the motive behind the murder were never revealed.
The search for Hardin continues in the Ozark Mountains, with local authorities, as well as the U.S. Marshals Eastern Arkansas Fugitive Task Force, combing the area. Bloodhounds were used to track Hardin's scent, but torrential rain disrupted the search, causing the dogs to lose the trail.
Hardin left behind many items that could help identify his scent, such as clothes and bedsheets, but took very few belongings with him. The FBI has offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his arrest.
Cheryl Tilman, the mayor of Gateway and a sister of one of Hardin's victims, described him as "an evil man." Nathan Smith, who previously prosecuted Hardin in Benton County, added that Hardin is "extremely dangerous" and "has no moral core or center."
In addition to his 30-year sentence for the 2017 murder, Hardin was also serving an additional 50-year sentence for a 1997 rape. This second sentence was imposed after DNA evidence linked him to a rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas. The HBO Max documentary "Devil in the Ozarks" detailed the two-decade investigation leading to the identification and arrest of Hardin in the rape case.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections, along with multiple law enforcement agencies, is actively searching for Hardin. As the manhunt continues, authorities are urging the public to remain vigilant and report any sightings or relevant information to local authorities or the FBI.
A general-news report on the runoff of former Police Chief Grant Hardin includes interviews with law enforcement officials and victims' family members, with crime-and-justice coverage being a central focus. The manhunt for Hardin, a dangerous sociopath sentenced to 30 years for murder and 50 years for rape, is currently featured in crime-and-justice as well as sports sections due to the high-profile nature of his escape from an Arkansas prison and the subsequent manhunt in the Ozark Mountains. Video footage obtained from the prison shows Hardin pushing a loading cart dressed as a law enforcement officer, allegedly impersonating a corrections officer to escape unchallenged. Authorities have used bloodhounds and offered a reward in attempts to capture him, but torrential rain has disrupted the search. The case has been previously covered in the HBO Max documentary "Devil in the Ozarks".
