A tense, two-week manhunt ended in the dense Arkansas woods on Friday afternoon as authorities captured Grant Hardin, a convicted murderer and rapist whose notoriety led to a TV documentary, ‘Devil in the Ozarks.’
Hardin’s escape from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock had terrified communities and sparked a massive multi-agency dragnet.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections confirmed Hardin’s capture roughly a mile from where his brazen breakout began on May 25.
Officials say Hardin, a former police chief turned violent felon, managed to evade authorities for 13 days before being tracked down and apprehended near the rugged terrain he likely thought would be his shield.
Hardin briefly attempted to run from officers when he saw them approach, but he was quickly tackled to the ground, said Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas prison system.
‘He’d been on the run for a week and a half and probably didn´t have any energy left in him,’ he added.
The escape of Hardin, once tasked with upholding the law as the police chief of the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, had left Arkansans on edge.
After slipping free from the high-security facility at 2:25pm on a Saturday afternoon, the 60-year-old fugitive disappeared into the wilderness, igniting a search that stretched across local, state, and federal agencies.
‘I’m so proud of our Department staff and all the local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for being steadfast as they always are,’ said Benny Magness, Chairman of the Arkansas Board of Corrections.
‘They sacrificed everything to make sure Hardin was captured and the community could finally feel safe again.’
For nearly two weeks, armed officers combed miles of forest and rocky terrain, backed by helicopters, drones, and K-9 units, in a desperate bid to catch a man many feared had nothing left to lose.
‘Thanks to the great work of local, state, and federal law enforcement, Arkansans can breathe a sigh of relief,’ Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said after news of Hardin’s capture broke.
‘I’m grateful to every officer who contributed and give special thanks to the Trump administration and Secretary Kristi Noem, who sent a specialized Border Patrol team that was instrumental in tracking and apprehending Hardin.’
That specialized unit, part of the elite U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC), was credited with key assistance in pinning down Hardin’s location – a patch of rugged woods near Calico Rock.
Hardin’s fall from law enforcement officer to convicted killer is as stunning as it is chilling.
Once sworn to protect and serve, Hardin is now best known for the brutal slaying that sent him to prison in 2017.
He was convicted of first-degree murder and later found guilty of rape, stacking a 30-year sentence on top of his already damning record.
His escape only amplified public concern. Hardin, already classified as a violent offender, vanished with a ruthlessness that alarmed even seasoned law enforcement officers.
‘I’m incredibly appreciative to all of our dedicated law enforcement agencies that spent countless hours, both day and night, sacrificing their time, utilizing their resources, and lending their invaluable expertise to this search,’ said Secretary of Corrections Lindsay Wallace.
‘To every Department staff member who assisted in this manhunt, I offer my heartfelt thanks.’
The capture itself unfolded without bloodshed. Officials said Hardin was found deep in the brush, his body had been battered by the elements but he was alive.
It is the final chapter to a manhunt that had gripped the state and left many communities living in fear.
‘They got him about a mile from the prison, in the woods,’ Magness confirmed.
For residents near Calico Rock and Mountain View, news of Hardin’s capture ended days of lockdowns, sleepless nights, and constant fear.
Many had been warned to lock their doors, keep watch, and stay alert for a man authorities described as extremely dangerous.
Law enforcement leaders stressed the dangers of the operation – a manhunt over rough terrain under a blistering summer sun, with officers working around the clock, often with little sleep and under the constant threat that Hardin could lash out at any moment.
By Friday evening, a palpable sense of relief had settled over Stone County.
Local officials thanked the law enforcement officers who had flooded their communities and praised the cooperation between agencies that many say was essential to ending the manhunt safely.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections has not yet released details on how Hardin managed to escape in the first place but an investigation that is sure to follow in the days ahead.
Hardin had been housed in a maximum-security wing of the primarily medium security prison, formally known as the North Central Unit.
Officials are investigating whether a job Hardin held in the kitchen helped in his escape, including whether it gave him access to materials he could have used to fashion his makeshift uniform.
In order to escape, he had impersonated a corrections officer ‘in dress and manner,’ according to a court document.
A prison officer in one of the guard towers opened a secure gate, allowing him to simply walk out of the facility.
Rand Champion said that someone should have checked Hardin’s identity before he was allowed to leave, describing the lack of verification as a ‘lapse’ that’s being investigated.
Hardin has now been returned to the custody of the Arkansas Department of Corrections, where he faces not just his previous sentences but new charges stemming from his escape.
Hardin pleaded guilty in 2017 to first-degree murder for the killing of James Appleton, 59.
Appleton worked for the Gateway water department when he was shot in the head February 23, 2017, near Garfield. Police found Appleton’s body inside a car. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Hardin´s DNA was also matched to the 1997 rape of a teacher at an elementary school in Rogers, north of Fayetteville. He was sentenced to 50 years for that crime.
Cheryl Tillman, Appleton’s sister said that Hardin’s capture was a ‘big sigh of relief’ for her whole family.
‘We don’t have to walk around, turning around all the time, thinking somebody´s on our back,’ Tillman said, emphasizing her appreciation for the officers who helped capture Hardin.