The ex-police chief known as the “Ozark Devil,” along with a convicted murderer, was apprehended by law enforcement 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwest of the prison. He fled authorities announced Friday after a significant almost two-week manhunt in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas.
Grant Hardin, who previously served as the police chief in a small town near the Arkansas-Missouri border, is currently serving a lengthy sentence. For murder and rape. His notorious reputation eventually inspired the television documentary *Devil in the Ozark*.
On Friday afternoon, Hardin spotted approaching officers and attempted to evade them, but he was quickly tackled to the ground, as reported by Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Prison System.
“He had been on the run for a week and a half and was probably exhausted,” Champion added.
The Izzard County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Hardin’s identity through fingerprints, as mentioned in a Facebook post.
Police set up a checkpoint searching for fugitive Grant Hardin near downtown Carico Rock on Thursday, May 29, 2025 (AP Photo/Nicolas Ingram)
There are no signs that Hardin has sustained any injuries; however, he is being checked for dehydration and other health issues.
At this point, investigators are “thinking a bit and eager to speak with him,” according to Champion, though Hardin has remained silent so far.
Escape, search, and eventual capture
Hardin had been detained at Calico Rock Prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder stemming from a fatal shooting. To escape, he disguised himself as an officer “in his attire and manner,” per court documents. An officer in one of the guard towers opened a safe gate, allowing him to exit the facility.
Champion mentioned that the absence of verification is considered a “revocation” under investigation, indicating a need to confirm Hardin’s identity.
Search teams utilized mounted officers, drones, and helicopters to locate Hardin after he escaped on May 25th.
Immediately following his escape, a Bloodhound tracked Hardin’s scent but lost it shortly after due to heavy rainfall in the area. Champion stated that the Bloodhound followed Hardin’s trail for less than a mile, but it could have diverged in various directions.
“It was one of the most frustrating situations—they could track him but lost him because of the rain,” Champion recounted.
This week, federal authorities announced that a specialized U.S. Border Patrol team has recently joined the search, providing “advanced tracking capabilities and operational support.”
The agency claimed that the team members are experienced in traversing challenging terrains. They managed to follow Hardin through an area characterized by rugged, rocky landscapes, dense forests, and an extensive network of caves.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection shared Facebook photos showing Hardin shirtless and caked in mud; he was restrained with his hands behind his back and face lowered. According to the post, Hardin was “handed over to the Arkansas State Police in a safe condition” by a federal agency.
The agency spokesperson did not respond to requests for comments regarding the post made on Friday night.
Hardin’s criminal record
In 2017, Hardin pleaded guilty to murdering James Appleton, who was shot in the head near Garfield on February 23, 2017. Police located Appleton’s body inside a vehicle. Consequently, Hardin received a 30-year prison sentence.
Hardin’s DNA was also linked to a 1997 rape of a teacher at a primary school in Rogers, north of Fayetteville, resulting in an additional 50-year sentence.
Cheryl Tillman, Appleton’s sister, was at a flea market in Ozark, Missouri, with her mother and sister when law enforcement notified them of Hardin’s capture. Tillman is also the mayor of Gateway, the town with a population of 450 where Hardin briefly served as police chief.
Tillman expressed a “big sigh of relief” for the entire family upon learning of Hardin’s capture.
“We can now live without the constant sense of being followed,” Tillman stated.
A troubled law enforcement history
Hardin served as Gateway’s police chief for only four months, but his records indicate a lengthy tenure as an officer across several communities in northwest Arkansas.
His superior recalled that Hardin had a brief stint in his first position as a police officer 35 years ago in Fayetteville, where he was dismissed from the police department, yet managed to hold subsequent law enforcement roles in northwest Arkansas for numerous years.
He worked at the Huntsville Police Department for approximately six months before voluntarily resigning, with records providing no explanation for his departure.
Later, he served at the Eureka Springs Police Department from 1993 to 1996, where former Chief Earl Hyatt stated that Hardin resigned as he attempted to terminate him over an incident involving excessive force.
“He was not suited to be a police officer,” Hyatt remarked to TV station KNWA. By the time he became Gateway’s police chief in 2016, “he was chasing cars without clear reasons,” Tillman recalled in the documentary *The Devil of the Ozark*.
Source: apnews.com