A former Arkansas police chief serving multiple life sentences for murder and rape has escaped from prison, sparking a huge multi-agency manhunt.
Grant Hardin, who once served as the chief of police in Gateway, Arkansas, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock on Sunday, according to state corrections officials.
Hardin was incarcerated at the facility since 2017, serving time for his crimes. He was Gateway's police chief for about four months in early 2016.
Details surrounding the escape remain undisclosed as authorities continue their investigation. It is believed he was wearing a makeshift law enforcement outfit when he escaped.
The search is currently underway, and authorities are urging anyone with information regarding Hardin's whereabouts to contact the relevant law enforcement agencies.
Hardin pleaded guilty in October 2017 to first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of 59-year-old James Appleton. According to an affidavit filed in the case, Appleton worked for the Gateway water department and was talking to his brother-in-law, then Gateway Mayor Andrew Tillman, when he was shot in the head on Feb. 23, 2017 near Garfield. Police found Appleton’s body inside a car.
He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He is also serving 50 years in prison for the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers north of Fayetteville.
On Sunday evening Arkansas Department of Corrections latest released a statement on the search, it read: “As of 11:30 PM on Sunday, May 25, the search for inmate Grant Hardin, ADC # 168541, is ongoing. The search is a joint effort including the Department of Corrections, Arkansas State Police, and local and state law enforcement offices.
“It has been determined that Hardin was wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement when he escaped the North Central Unit. He was not wearing a Department of Corrections uniform, and all DOC-issued equipment has been accounted for.
“Officials continue to utilize a variety of means to track Hardin, as well as investigating the events that led up to his escape. Further updates will be provided as they become available.Again, Hardin remains at large, and anyone with information about his whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately.”
KFSM-TV, reporting on Hardin’s guilty plea in 2019, wrote that police used DNA samples from the crime scene to apply for a John Doe Warrant in 2003 as the statute of limitations neared. The DNA was tested against old and new profiles, and investigators got a match when Hardin was imprisoned for killing Appleton.
