Notorious Ex-Police Chief, Districted as "Devil of the Ozarks," Breaks Free from Arkansas Penitentiary: Key Insights Provided.
Arkansas authorities have launched a manhunt in the rugged Ozark Mountains for Grant Hardin, a former police chief and convicted murderer who escaped from prison over the weekend.
Hardin, who previously served as the police chief of Gateway, a small town near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving a multi-decade sentence for murder and rape. Known as the "Devil in the Ozarks," he escaped from the North Central Unit, a medium-security prison in Calico Rock, on Sunday.
The circumstances surrounding his escape are under investigation. Officials believe he impersonated a corrections officer, managing to slip out of the facility by tricking a prison officer into opening a secure gate. However, the details of how he obtained the correct uniform, or if he manufactured it himself, remain unclear.
Video footage shows Hardin leaving the prison at around 2:55 p.m. on Sunday. Authorities announced his escape about two hours later. The investigation is ongoing to determine any assistance he may have received and the reasons for his transfer to a medium-security facility.
Law enforcement agencies from across the state are participating in the search effort. Although specific areas of the search have not been disclosed, it has expanded as more time has elapsed since the escape. The rugged terrain and recent heavy rain have posed challenges for the search team.
Hardin had been imprisoned at the Calico Rock facility since 2017, following his plea to first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of James Appleton, a Gateway water department employee. His DNA matched the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in the city of Rogers, northwestern Arkansas, for which he was sentenced to an additional 50 years in prison.
The small community of Gateway experienced a dramatic shift when Hardin became police chief in 2016. Accounts from locals featured in the 2023 HBO documentary "Devil in the Ozarks" describe instances of unprovoked harassment, threats with weapons, and a hostile atmosphere during his brief tenure.
A crucial run-in between Hardin and Appleton in spring 2016 resulted in the city council giving him an ultimatum. He resigned four months into the position and was fired nine months later after the murder of Appleton. The "Devil in the Ozarks" documentary contains compelling accounts of the events before and after the murder, including security footage and eye-witness testimonies.
Citizens of Gateway, including Cheryl Tillman, who is one of Appleton's sisters, are expressing concern following Hardin's escape. Anxiety levels are high, and some residents have taken protective measures, such as securing firearms.
Authorities are employing search tactics including canines, drones, and helicopters in their efforts to locate Hardin. The Division of Correction and the Division of Community Correction are working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to follow leads and apprehend Hardin as quickly as possible.
In: Escaped Prisoner
)[1] "Escaped Prisoner: Grant Hardin Found Guilty of Murder and Rape," Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, April 6, 2018, https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2018/apr/06/escaped-prisoner-grant-hardin-found-guilty-of-murder-and-ra/; "Escape from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Arkansas," Arkansas Online, May 30, 2025, https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2025/may/30/escape-north-central-unit-calico-rock-arkansas/.
- The manhunt for former police chief and convicted murderer Grant Hardin, who escaped from a medium-security prison in Calico Rock, Arkansas, on Sunday, is being aided by law enforcement agencies across the state as they search through the rugged Ozark Mountains.
- The escaped prisoner, Hardin, who was serving a multi-decade sentence for murder and rape, is known as the "Devil in the Ozarks" and had previously served as the police chief of Gateway, a small town near the Arkansas-Missouri border.
- The ongoing investigation into Hardin's escape involves determining any assistance he may have received and the reasons for his transfer to a medium-security facility, as well as uncovering how he managed to obtain or manufacture a corrections officer's uniform to trick his way out of the North Central Unit prison.
