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The former police chief, known as the “Ozark Devil,” was captured by law enforcement agencies 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the prison that fled following a massive two-week manhunt on a rugged mountain in northern Arkansas, authorities said Friday.
Grant Hardin, former police chief at the small town Gateway near the Arkansas Missori border, served a lengthy sentence for murder and rape. Eventually, his infamous name led to the television documentary Devil in the Ozark.
Hardin saw them approaching Friday afternoon and tried to escape from the officers, but he was soon tackled on the ground, said Rand Champion, a spokesman for the Arkansas Prison System.
“He’s been running for a week and a half and probably didn’t have any energy left for him,” he added.
Hardin’s identity was confirmed through fingerprints, the Izzard County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
There are no indications that Hardin has been injured, but he is checked for dehydration and other medical issues.
Now, investigators are “musing a bit and ready to talk to him,” Champion said. Hardin said nothing at the moment.
Escape, search, final capture
Hardin was held at Calico Rock Prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting. To escape, he pretended to be the amendment officer “in his outfit and manner,” according to court documents. A prison officer in one of the Guard Towers opened a safe gate and was able to leave the facility.
The champion described the lack of verification as a “revocation” under investigation, saying someone should check Hardin’s identity.
Searchers have been using horse-riding police officers, drones and helicopters in search of Hardin since fleeing on May 25th.
Shortly after the escape, the bloodhound discovered the scent of Hardin as heavy rain blew, Champion said. The Bloodhound tracked Hardin’s path for less than a mile, but could have gone in any direction since.
“It was one of the most frustrating things and they could track him down, but they lost him because of the rain,” the Champion said.
Federal authorities announced this week that an elite and highly trained U.S. Border Patrol team has recently joined the search. The Border Patrol Tactical Team provided “advanced search capabilities and operational support,” and US Customs and Border Security.
The members have experience navigating complex terrain, the agency said earlier this week. The team tracked Hardin through an area known for its rocky, sturdy landscapes, thick forests and extensive cave networks.
US customs and border patrols shared photos on Hardin’s shirtless, mud-covered Facebook, and on Friday he tied his hands behind his back, lowering his face. The Post said Hardin was “extrapped to the Arkansas State Police to an unharmed person” by a federal agency.
The agency spokesman did not answer the call and emailed a request for comments about the Friday night post.
Hardin’s criminal conviction
Hardin pleaded guilty in 2017 to the murder of James Appleton, the murder of James Appleton, when he was shot at a head near Garfield on February 23, 2017. Police found Appleton’s body in the car. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Hardin’s DNA also coincided with the rape of a teacher in 1997 at Rogers’ primary school, north of Fayetteville. He was sentenced to 50 years for the crime.
Appleton’s sister, Cheryl Tillman, was with her mother and sister at a flea market in Ozark, Missouri when law enforcement called out to tell her that her Hardin had been captured. Tillman is also Mayor Gateway, a town of 450 where Hardin was temporarily the chief of police.
Tillman told The Associated Press that Hardin captured it was a “big relief sigh” for the whole family.
“We don’t have to walk around, always turn around and think that someone is on our backs,” Tillman said.
A problematic past of law enforcement
Hardin was Gateway’s police chief for just four months, but he served as an officer in several communities around northwest Arkansas, his police records show.
His supervisor said Hardin had a quick struggle in his first job as a police officer at Fayetteville 35 years ago. He was fired by the Fayetteville Police Department, but continued to be employed for jobs in other law enforcement agencies in northwest Arkansas for many years.
Hardin worked at the Huntsville Police Station for about six months before resigning, but records give no reason for his resignation.
He later worked at the Eureka Springs Police Station from 1993 to 1996. Former Chief Earl Hyatt said Hardin resigned as Hyatt attempted to fire him in an incident involving excessive use of force.
“He didn’t have to be a police officer,” Hyatt told TV station Knwa.
By the time he was Gateway’s police chief in 2016, “He was chasing cars for no reason,” Tillman recalled in the documentary “The Devil of the Ozark.”
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