Arkansas' 'Devil in the Ozarks' captured after 2-week manhunt

After a massive 2-week long manhunt, a former police chief and convicted killer was captured Friday by law enforcement 1.5 miles northwest of the prison he escaped from in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas.

Grant Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. Eventually, his notoriety led to a TV documentary, “Devil in the Ozarks.”

Hardin briefly attempted to run from officers when he saw them approach Friday afternoon, but he was quickly tackled to the ground.

“He’d been on the run for a week and a half and probably didn’t have any energy left in him,” said Rand Champion, spokesman for the Arkansas prison system.

There’s no indication that Hardin was injured, though he will be checked for dehydration and other medical problems.

Now, investigators are “chomping at the bit and really ready to talk to him,” said Champion, who used his cellphone to capture an image of Hardin being led away by officers. Hardin said nothing during those moments.

Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting. In order to escape, he 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 walk out of the facility.

Searchers had been using drones. helicopters and officers on horseback in their hunt for Hardin since he escaped on May 25. Shortly after the escape, a bloodhound found — then quickly lost — Hardin’s scent when heavy rains blew through the area. 

An elite and highly trained U.S. Border Patrol team had recently joined the search, experienced in navigating complex terrain. The Ozark Mountains region is known for its rocky and rugged landscape, thick forests and an extensive cave network.

Hardin pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the killing of James Appleton, who worked for the Gateway water department when he was shot in the head in 2017. 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.



(Arkansas Dept. of Corrections via AP)