LOCKED UP (AGAIN)

‘Devil in the Ozarks’ Recaptured After Nearly 2 Weeks on Run

Former police chief Grant Hardin, who is serving 80 years after being convicted of rape and murder, escaped prison on May 25.

Grant Hardin, the former Arkansas police chief convicted of rape and murder, has been recaptured after escaping prison almost two weeks ago, NBC reports. Hardin was found 1.5 miles west of the prison after tracking dogs picked up his scent. Hardin escaped North Central Unit on May 25 by impersonating a corrections officer, which caused a corrections officer to open the gate for him. He was serving time for the murder of city water employee James Appleton in 2017 and the rape of teacher Amy Harrison in 1997, having been sentenced to a combined 80 years for the two crimes. The subject of the 2023 Max documentary Devil in the Ozarks, Hardin was connected to the 1997 rape after his conviction for the 2017 murder, thanks to a positive DNA match. Hardin was the police chief of Gateway, Arkansas, for four months in 2016 and had previously worked as a police officer, county constable, and corrections officer.