CALICO ROCK, AR — A former Arkansas police chief serving time for murder and rape has been recaptured after nearly two weeks on the run, authorities said Friday. Grant Hardin was taken into custody in northern Arkansas about 1.5 miles west of the prison he escaped from, ending a search that drew in local, state and federal officers.
The Izard County Sheriff’s Office said Hardin’s identity was confirmed through fingerprint analysis after his arrest. The Arkansas Department of Corrections said law enforcement found him near Moccasin Creek shortly after 3 p.m. local time, and tracking dogs helped guide officers to the area.
How Grant Hardin escaped from the Calico Rock prison
Hardin escaped the Calico Rock North Central Unit in Izard County on May 25 by putting on a uniform and posing as a corrections officer, authorities said. He was then allowed to walk through a sally port while pulling a cart, a method that exposed serious security failures at the facility.
The 56-year-old was serving a 30-year sentence for murder and rape at the time of the escape. Officials have said he was able to move out of the prison in disguise before the manhunt began across the surrounding area.
Law enforcement search centered on Moccasin Creek and surrounding hills
During the search, officials used helicopters, drones and K9 officers to cover ground in and around Izard County. The Arkansas Department of Corrections said the manhunt also included assistance from a U.S. Border Patrol tactical unit from Texas known as BORTAC.
That federal team was sent to Arkansas to help track Hardin after the escape triggered a large-scale search. Authorities also said the FBI and U.S. Marshals offered a combined $25,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
Officials said the search pressure remained high as officers worked through rough terrain near the prison and along possible escape routes.
Officials urged nearby residents to stay alert during the manhunt
After Hardin escaped, Arkansas officials urged residents in and around Izard County to stay vigilant and lock their homes and vehicles. The warning reflected concern that the fugitive could move through rural communities before officers found him.
Stone County Sheriff Brandon Long told ABC News during the search that he feared Hardin might hurt or kill someone before the case was over. The comments underscored the seriousness of the manhunt for a man already convicted in violent crimes.
Arkansas Secretary of Corrections Lindsay Wallace later thanked the people who helped bring the search to a peaceful conclusion.
A violent criminal history drew attention to the case
Hardin was the former police chief of Gateway, Arkansas, and pleaded guilty in October 2017 to first-degree murder in the shooting death of 59-year-old James Appleton, according to The Associated Press. He was also convicted in the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas.
That earlier rape case was later featured in the 2023 television documentary Devil in the Ozarks, which brought renewed attention to Hardin’s criminal history. His background made the escape especially alarming to law enforcement and residents across the region.
Nathan Smith, the former Benton County prosecutor who helped put Hardin behind bars, told Arkansas ABC affiliate KHBS that Hardin is “a sociopath.”
Sanders praises local, state and federal officers after arrest
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders thanked local, state and federal law enforcement after Hardin was taken back into custody. She singled out the Trump administration for sending the Border Patrol team she said was “instrumental in tracking and apprehending Hardin.”
Sanders said Arkansans could “breathe a sigh of relief” now that “violent criminal Grant Hardin is back in custody.” The governor’s remarks came after the long search drew together agencies from several levels of government.
With Hardin back in custody, the immediate public safety concern that followed the escape has eased, though authorities have not said whether additional security reviews are underway at the prison.
Fingerprint confirmation ended nearly two weeks of uncertainty
The Izard County Sheriff’s Office said fingerprint analysis confirmed Hardin’s identity after his arrest. That step closed the loop on a manhunt that had stretched across nearly two weeks and relied on multiple leads before officers reached him near the creek.
The capture came roughly 1.5 miles west of the prison where he had escaped, keeping the ending close to the starting point of the search. Authorities have not said whether Hardin had help while on the run or how long he had been in the area before officers found him.
