Manhunt Underway After Disgraced Former Police Chief Convicted of Murder and Rape Escapes Arkansas Prison
Arkansas authorities hunt for escaped ex-police chief Grant Hardin, a convicted murderer and rapist, who vanished from prison Sunday.
An urgent manhunt is underway in Arkansas following the escape of Grant Hardin, a former police chief who was serving prison sentences for both murder and rape. According to the Arkansas Department of Corrections, Hardin, 56, absconded from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock on Sunday afternoon.
Authorities have warned the public to remain vigilant and contact local law enforcement immediately if they have any information regarding Hardin's whereabouts. "Anyone with information about inmate Hardin’s whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately," officials stated in a recent social media post.
Hardin, the former chief of police for the city of Gateway, had been incarcerated at the North Central Unit since 2017. He was serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder and an additional term for rape. His criminal past came to light after he pleaded guilty to the 2017 shooting death of James Appleton, a city water employee who was found dead inside his work truck.
The investigation into Hardin's past intensified when, during his booking into state prison, officials submitted his DNA into a database. The sample matched evidence from a long-cold 1997 rape case involving Amy Harrison, a teacher at Frank Tillery Elementary in Rogers. Harrison recounted being attacked by a man armed with a gun while working alone on lesson plans. The case had been unsolved for nearly two decades until DNA evidence conclusively linked Hardin to the assault.
"It was proven to be Mr. Hardin beyond all scientific certainty," Nathan Smith, the Benton County prosecuting attorney at the time, said of the rape case. Hardin pleaded guilty to the rape charge in 2019.
Smith described Hardin as "one of the most dangerous people that I ever seen for the reason that he does not at first appear that way. He is a man capable of a seemingly random, horrific murder as well as a random horrific rape."
At the time of his escape, Hardin was described as a white male, standing six feet tall and weighing approximately 259 pounds. Residents of the area and surrounding communities are urged to remain alert and report any sightings or suspicious activity immediately.
As the search for Hardin continues, officials have not released further details on how he managed to escape from the facility, but the incident has raised concerns about security measures in place at the North Central Unit and across the state. Local and state law enforcement agencies remain involved in the ongoing investigation.
