FBI offers $20K reward for escaped ex-police chief convicted of murder, rape
Residents cautious after 'Devil in the Ozarks' escape
The manhunt continues for the former police chief and convicted killer known as the "Devil in the Ozarks". Investigators say Grant Hardin escaped Sunday from the medium-security Calico Rock prison donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform. Denise and Marcel Grady live in Izard County, Arkansas, where the prison is located. The couple joined LiveNOW from FOX’s Josh Breslow to discuss the current situation.
The FBI has announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Grant Matthew Hardin.
The backstory:
Hardin, the former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary "Devil in the Ozarks."
He escaped last month from the North Central Unit — a medium-security prison also known as the Calico Rock prison — by wearing an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform, according to Champion.
A prison officer opened a secure gate, allowing him to leave the facility. Champion said that someone should have checked Hardin’s identity before he was allowed to leave the facility, describing the lack of verification as a "lapse" that is being
investigated.
It took authorities approximately 30 minutes to notice Hardin had escaped.
Who is Grant Hardin?
Dig deeper:
Hardin had a checkered and brief law enforcement career. He worked at the Fayetteville Police Department from August 1990 to May 1991, but was let go because he didn’t meet the standards of his training period, a department spokesman said.
Hardin worked about six months at the Huntsville Police Department before resigning, but records do not give a reason for his resignation, according to Police Chief Todd Thomas, who joined the department after Hardin worked there.
Hardin later worked at the Eureka Springs Police Department from 1993 to 1996. Former Chief Earl Hyatt said Hardin resigned because Hyatt was going to fire him over incidents that included the use of excessive force.
He continued to have trouble in his brief stint as an officer in Gateway, according to the 450-person town’s mayor Cheryl Tillman.
Hardin pleaded guilty in 2017 to first-degree murder for the killing of James Appleton, 59. Appleton, who was Tillman’s brother, worked for the Gateway water department when he was shot in the head on Feb. 23, 2017, near Garfield. Police found Appleton’s body inside a car. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
He was also serving 50 years for the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers, north of Fayetteville.
He had been held in the Calico Rock prison since 2017.
What you can do:
If you have any information concerning this individual, please contact the FBI's Toll-Free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from official statements by the FBI and law enforcement authorities, including prison officials and police departments where Grant Hardin previously worked. This story was reported from Los Angeles.