Convicted killer and recaptured prison escapee Grant Hardin is in the Varner SuperMax prison southeast of Little Rock, prison authorities announced Saturday.
After a nearly two-week search authorities recaptured Hardin on Friday 1.5 miles northwest of the Arkansas Department of Corrections detention center at Calico Rock from which he escaped. Hardin briefly attempted to run from officers when he saw them approach, but he was quickly tackled to the ground, said Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas prison system.
Authorities tried to track Hardin using drones, bloodhounds and a helicopter, but high water from heavy rains during the search raised the water level in creeks and streams around the prison. That likely limited his abilities to move through the rugged terrain, Champion said.
Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock facility since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting. He escaped by impersonating a corrections officer “in dress and manner,” according to a court document.
A prison officer in one of the guard towers opened a secure gate, allowing him to walk out of the facility. Authorities say they are investigating why Hardin’s identity was not checked before he was allowed to leave.
Hardin is a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border whose notoriety led to a TV documentary called “Devil in the Ozarks.”
