A former police chief and convicted killer known as the “Devil in the Ozarks” was captured by law enforcement 1.5 miles northwest of the prison he escaped from following a massive, nearly two-week-long manhunt in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas, authorities announced Friday.
Grant Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. Eventually, his notoriety led to a TV documentary, “Devil in the Ozarks.”
Hardin briefly attempted to run from officers when he saw them approach Friday afternoon, but he was quickly tackled to the ground, said Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas prison system.
“He’d been on the run for a week and a half and probably didn’t have any energy left in him,” he added.
Hardin’s identity was confirmed through fingerprinting, the Izard County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
Investigators are “chomping at the bit and really ready to talk to him,” said Champion, who used his cellphone to capture an image of Hardin being led away by officers. Hardin said nothing during those moments.
Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting. In order to escape, he impersonated a corrections officer “in dress and manner,” according to a court document. A prison officer in one of the guard towers opened a secure gate, allowing him to walk out of the facility.
Champion said that someone should have checked Hardin’s identity before he was allowed to leave, describing the lack of verification as a “lapse” that’s being investigated.
Searchers had been using bloodhounds, officers on horseback, drones and helicopters in their hunt for Hardin since he escaped May 25.
Shortly after the escape, a bloodhound found — then quickly lost — Hardin’s scent when heavy rains blew through the area, Champion said.
“That was one of the most frustrating things, that they were able to track him but then they lost him,” Champion said.
An elite and highly trained U.S. Border Patrol team had recently joined the search, federal authorities said. The Border Patrol Tactical Team provided “advanced search capabilities and operational support,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
Its members are experienced in navigating complex terrain, the agency said. The team tracked Hardin through the region known for its rocky and rugged landscape, thick forests and an extensive cave network.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol shared photos on Facebook of Hardin shirtless and covered in mud, laying face down with his hands tied behind his back on Friday. The post said that Hardin was “turned over to Arkansas State Police unharmed” by the federal agency.
Hardin pleaded guilty in 2017 to first-degree murder for the killing of James Appleton, 59. Appleton worked for the Gateway water department when he was shot in the head Feb. 23, 2017. Police found Appleton’s body inside a car. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Hardin’s DNA was also matched to the 1997 rape of a teacher at an elementary school north of Fayetteville. He was sentenced to 50 years for that crime.
Though Hardin was police chief in Gateway for just four months, he had served as an officer in multiple communities around northwest Arkansas, his police records show.
In his first job as a police officer 35 years ago in Fayetteville, Hardin struggled almost immediately, his supervisors said. He was dismissed by Fayetteville police, but kept getting hired for other law enforcement jobs in northwest Arkansas over the years.
Hardin worked about six months at the Huntsville Police Department before resigning; records do not give a reason for his resignation.
He 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.
Martin and Riddle write for the Associated Press.