CALICO ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Department of Corrections says a corrections officer’s failure to follow basic procedures allowed convicted killer and former police chief Grant Hardin to walk out of the North Central Unit in May, sparking a two-week manhunt.
Hardin, 56, was recaptured on June 6 near Moccasin Creek, roughly 1.5 miles northwest of the medium-security facility in Izard County, where he had escaped on May 25. State corrections officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents tracked him down with the help of search K-9s.
Speaking before the Arkansas Board of Corrections on June 10, ADOC Director Dexter Payne said a staff member at the back gate did not properly confirm Hardin’s identity, KFSM reports.
“It’s not necessarily a policy issue; it’s a personnel issue. The person who was responsible didn’t do what he was supposed to do,” Payne said.
The escape marked the first in about 35 years at the Calico Rock prison, according to Payne. An internal review is ongoing, and Payne said he plans to share its findings with the board.
Hardin, 56, left the prison dressed in all black, mimicking a law enforcement officer’s appearance, Payne said. Officials have not released further details about how he bypassed gate security.
Internal review debated
Board chair Benny Magness praised the search effort and emergency response but said a separate internal review might not be necessary, citing the ongoing Arkansas State Police investigation, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. Magness proposed additional security measures, including a key-card gate system and portable floodlights for nighttime search operations.
Two other board members called for the ADOC to conduct its own investigation and formally present the findings to the board.
From officer to offender
Hardin’s law enforcement background has drawn attention since his escape. He briefly served as police chief in Gateway and worked as a correctional officer before pleading guilty in 2017 to the murder of 59-year-old James Appleton. In 2019, DNA evidence linked him to the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher. He pleaded guilty to both charges and received concurrent sentences.
Eventually, his notoriety led to a television documentary, “Devil in the Ozarks,” which chronicled his life as both officer and offender.
Following his recapture, Hardin was transferred to the Varner Supermax Unit in Lincoln County.
