Grant Hardin, Arkansas escapee known as "Devil in the Ozarks," recaptured near prison after 2-week manhunt
A former police chief known as the "Devil in the Ozarks" was recaptured Friday, nearly two weeks after his escape from an Arkansas prison, where he was serving decadeslong sentences for murder and rape, the Izard County Sheriff's Office said.
Grant Hardin escaped on May 25 from the Calico Rock prison by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform, officials have said.
In a statement Friday, Sheriff Brandon Long said Hardin was apprehended at about 3:45 p.m. "just a short distance" from the prison.
Arkansas law enforcement officers and the U.S. Border Patrol located Hardin near Moccasin Creek in Izard County, roughly a mile and a half west of the prison's North Central Unit, the Arkansas Department of Corrections said. Tracking dogs were able to pick up a scent in the area.
"While many details will remain under investigation, there is no longer an active threat to public safety," Long said.
Law enforcement officials said they confirmed his identity by fingerprint analysis before notifying the public.
Hardin had been held at the prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder for fatally shooting 59-year-old James Appleton — a man he allegedly had multiple disputes with, according to the HBO documentary "Devil in the Ozarks." The fatal shooting happened following Hardin's brief time as the police chief of the small town of Gateway, Arkansas.
He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder.
Hardin's DNA was then matched to the 1997 rape of a teacher at an elementary school in northwestern Arkansas. He pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for each count, for a total sentence of 50 years.
