Former police chief and convicted murderer, 56-year-old Grant Hardin, meticulously planned his escape from an Arkansas prison in late May, according to an internal prison report released on 15/8. His elaborate scheme, which involved crafting a makeshift police uniform, led to a two-week manhunt.
Hardin successfully escaped from the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock, Arkansas, on 25/5 by impersonating a guard. He fashioned a uniform using items he gathered while working in the prison.
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Grant Hardin disguised as a guard during his escape on 25/5. Photo: Stone County Arkansas Sheriff's Office |
Grant Hardin disguised as a guard during his escape on 25/5. Photo: Stone County Arkansas Sheriff's Office
The report details how Hardin spent six months collecting materials like discarded markers and clothing from the laundry area. He used these items to create a convincing disguise, complete with a badge fashioned from a tin lid, which allowed him to bypass security checkpoints.
"Hardin stated that he hid clothing and other needed items in the bottom of the trash can in the kitchen because no one ever checked it," the report stated.
Following Hardin's confession, two prison employees were fired: a kitchen worker who often left Hardin unsupervised and a security guard who allowed him to leave without verifying his identity. "Hardin stated that when he walked to the gate, he motioned for the officer to open the gate," the report said.
Other employees face disciplinary actions, including demotions and suspensions, officials said.
Hardin claimed he received no direct help from other inmates or staff, although the report suggests their lax supervision facilitated his escape. He planned to live in the woods for six months before heading west, surviving on insects, bird eggs, berries, and water distilled from a CPAP machine he took from the prison.
Authorities captured Hardin two weeks later, less than 4 km from the prison.
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Grant Hardin was recaptured on 6/6 while hiding in the woods. Photo: Arkansas Department of Corrections |
Grant Hardin was recaptured on 6/6 while hiding in the woods. Photo: Arkansas Department of Corrections
The report concluded that Hardin was wrongly classified and should not have been housed in a medium-security prison. After his recapture, he was transferred to a maximum-security facility.
To address the security flaws exposed by Hardin's escape, the Department of Corrections removed the electric lock on the gate to prevent unauthorized exits. They also plan to install additional cameras and enhance contraband checks in utility and service areas.
Hardin has pleaded not guilty to the escape charge and is scheduled to appear in court in November. The former police chief of a town near the Arkansas-Missouri border is serving an 80-year sentence for the 1997 murder, rape, and kidnapping of an elementary school teacher. He was apprehended in 2017 based on DNA evidence. His crimes were documented in the film *Devil in the Ozarks*.
Tue Anh (according to Nypost)
