Photo: Stone County Arkansas Sheriff's Office
Grant Hardin, a former police chief from Arkansas, escaped from prison on Sunday (May 25) while serving sentences for murder and rape. Hardin, 56, broke out of the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock, Arkansas, around 3:40 p.m., according to the state's Department of Corrections. He was serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder and two 25-year sentences for rape.
Authorities believe Hardin used a makeshift outfit resembling law enforcement attire to facilitate his escape. A surveillance image showed him wearing black pants, a black T-shirt, a black baseball cap, and what appeared to be a bulletproof vest. He was seen wheeling a cart with a box and pieces of wood, and it is suspected he exited through a sally port, a controlled entry point in the prison.
Hardin, who has been incarcerated since 2017, was previously the police chief of Gateway, Arkansas. He pleaded guilty to the murder of James Appleton in 2017 and to the rape of schoolteacher Amy Harrison in 1997 after his DNA linked him to the crime.
Multiple agencies, including state police and sheriff's offices, are involved in the manhunt for Hardin. As of Sunday night, he had not been located. The Arkansas Department of Corrections is actively investigating the escape and has asked anyone with information to contact local law enforcement immediately.