A former police chief convicted of serious crimes has managed to escape from prison in Arkansas, raising alarms across the state and beyond.
Grant Hardin, who once held the top policing position in the small town of Gateway, vanished from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock on Sunday afternoon, wearing an outfit that resembled a law enforcement uniform.
Hardin slipped away from custody around 3:40 p.m. local time, according to officials from the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Authorities revealed that he had changed out of his prison clothing and put on what looked like a police uniform. His disappearance triggered an immediate search operation, with several agencies now involved in tracking him down.
He had been serving time for two major crimes. The first was the killing of James Appleton in 2017, a city worker from Gateway. The murder happened while Appleton was speaking with his brother-in-law, who was the town’s mayor at the time. After the shooting, Appleton’s body was discovered in a car. Hardin later admitted to the killing and received a 30-year sentence.
While behind bars, more evidence connected him to a separate case from 1997. DNA results linked Hardin to the rape of a young teacher named Amy Harrison, which had remained unsolved for two decades. The assault took place in a school in Rogers, Arkansas, where the victim had been attacked at gunpoint. Hardin later confessed to this crime too and was sentenced to an additional 50 years.
With both convictions, he was expected to remain in prison for the rest of his life. Now, law enforcement agencies are racing to find him. Officials have asked the public to report any sightings and warned that he may still be wearing a disguise to look like a police officer.
The manhunt follows recent concerns about prison security in the U.S. Just weeks earlier, ten inmates broke out of a facility in New Orleans by escaping through a hole behind a toilet. Hardin’s escape has added to growing questions about how such incidents continue to happen and what measures are in place to prevent them.
As of now, Grant Hardin remains on the run. The public is urged to stay alert and avoid contact with him, as he is considered dangerous. Anyone with information is being asked to reach out to local law enforcement immediately.