A convicted killer and former police chief, known as the “Devil in the Ozarks,” is now at the centre of an intense manhunt after pulling off a daring prison escape that has shaken communities across northern Arkansas.Grant Hardin, once the top cop in the small town of Gateway, disappeared Sunday afternoon from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, a medium-security prison in the rocky terrain of the Ozark Mountains. His escape wasn’t a sudden breakout or an act of brute force, it was a calculated deception.According to Arkansas prison officials, Hardin disguised himself in a fake law enforcement outfit, one that looked convincing enough to allow him to evade detection during his escape around 2:55 pm Sunday.“That was not a standard inmate uniform, not a standard correctional uniform,” said Rand Champion, spokesperson for the Arkansas department of corrections. “There’s nothing inside the prison that looks like that.”The escape wasn’t discovered until nearly two hours later, at around 5 pm, giving Hardin a significant head start into the surrounding wilderness, a rugged region known for caves, cliffs, and thick forest cover.Escape into the wildThe location of Calico Rock prison, surrounded by dense, rocky terrain, both aids and hampers the manhunt. Authorities are now using drones, helicopters, and search dogs to scour the area, but say the topography presents serious challenges.“It’s called Calico Rock for a reason,” Champion noted. “It’s very rocky.”Adding to the difficulty, the area has seen heavy rainfall, complicating ground searches and possibly helping Hardin obscure his tracks.Hardin’s intimate knowledge of the region, having lived and worked in the area for years, is a serious advantage. Locals, including cafe owner Darla Nix, say Hardin grew up in the community and knows the land well.“He knows where the caves are,” said Nix. “He’s a survivor. They’re going to have their hands full trying to catch him.”A calculated disguiseAuthorities have not yet determined how Hardin obtained or made the uniform he used to escape. But the sophistication of the disguise raises alarming questions about security protocols within the prison system, particularly for someone with such a violent past.Hardin, now 60, was serving 30 years for the 2017 murder of James Appleton, a water department worker he shot in the head, and 50 years for a 1997 rape of a schoolteacher in Rogers. He pleaded guilty to both crimes and had been housed at Calico Rock since 2017.Despite those convictions, officials placed Hardin in a medium-security facility, a decision now under heavy scrutiny.Community on edgeThe escape has rattled nearby towns and reawakened trauma for victims’ families.“We were there at his trial. He saw us there — he knows who we are,” aid Cheryl Tillman, sister of murder victim James Appleton. “He’s just an evil man. He is no good for society.”Tillman said she wasn’t shocked to learn Hardin had escaped. “It added fresh pain,” she said.In response, Izard County sheriff Charley Melton urged residents to lock doors, secure vehicles, and report anything suspicious.Hardin’s story, from trusted police chief to convicted rapist and killer, has already been chronicled in a 2023 true-crime documentary titled “Devil in the Ozarks.” Prosecutors say his escape now forces them to relive the past.“To have to be the one who picks up the phone and reminds people of what happened is something that weighs heavily on me,” said prosecutor Bryan Sexton.Despite the head start, former US Marshal inspector Craig Caine believes Hardin’s time on the run may be limited.“At some point, he’s going to run out of provisions,” Caine said. “In rural areas, most people know each other. That makes it harder to hide.”Still, Caine acknowledged that Hardin’s survival skills and familiarity with the area give him a dangerous edge — one that law enforcement is now racing to neutralise.As the search intensifies in the hills of the Ozarks, the community remains on high alert — waiting, watching, and hoping the “Devil” is caught before he strikes again.
