Former Police Chief, sentenced for murder and rape scaped from prision: Manhunt underway
Authorities warn of Grant Hardin's possible escape to Stone and Izard counties. The public was asked to report any information on his whereabouts, as he is considered “extremely dangerous”.
Grant Hardin, former Arkansas police chief, was serving sentences for murder and rape in Arkansas. But last Sunday, this man escaped from prison. According to the Stone County Sheriff's Office, the prisoner used a similar law enforcement uniform while pushing a cart of utility materials and passing a controlled gate.
Hardin was convicted in 2017 and was serving a 30-year sentence and a separate 50-year sentence. When officers realized he had escaped, they checked the vehicles to see if he had stolen one or taken someone hostage. Stone and Izard counties are being watched because authorities said he might flee to one of those.
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Why was Hardin convicted?
In 2017, Hardin was arrested and charged with shooting James Appleton in Gateway. Appleton was sitting in a pickup truck while talking on a phone. Hardin shot him in the head, was then identified by witnesses, and pleaded guilty not long after, receiving a 30-year sentence.
When he was serving his sentence in 2018, Hardin's DNA was linked to an unsolved rape case. Amy Harrison was sexually abused in 1997. She was leaving the teachers' restroom when a man confronted her and pointed a gun at her. After the attack, investigators were unable to identify the suspect, but when Hardin entered the prison system, his DNA was found to match that on Harrison's clothes.
Grant Hardin escaped using a similar uniform as the officers and no one noticed him while he was passing through a gateway. Photo: GLR Composition / AFP News / Arkansas Department of Corrections
When was Hardin a police chief?
Grant Hardin, for a short period, was the police chief in Gateway, a small town near the Missouri border. He was terminated multiple times and was accused of using excessive force, poor performance, and, according to local news media, falsifying a police report.
Hardin is described as 6 feet tall and weighing 259 pounds. Authorities said that any information regarding his whereabouts should be reported to local law enforcement. Law enforcement officials described him as "extremely dangerous" and warned people near the prison not to approach him if they see him.
