by Temitope Oladeji
26/5/2025
Authorities are searching for a former Arkansas police chief convicted of both murder and rape after he escaped from a state prison over the weekend.
Grant Hardin, 56, who once served briefly as police chief in the small town of Gateway, Arkansas, fled from the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock at approximately 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
In a statement posted on social media, officials said Hardin did not wear his prison-issued uniform at the time of his escape.
Instead, he had disguised himself in a makeshift outfit resembling a law enforcement uniform, raising concerns about his ability to blend in and potentially avoid detection.
Hardin, who had been incarcerated since 2017, remains at large. Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant and to immediately contact local law enforcement with any information about his whereabouts.
In 2017, Hardin pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 59-year-old James Appleton, an employee of the Gateway Water Department.
Appleton was killed on February 23, 2017, while speaking with his brother-in-law, then-Gateway Mayor Andrew Tillman.
His body was later discovered in a vehicle by police. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the crime.
While serving that sentence, Hardin was linked by DNA evidence to a previously unsolved rape case dating back to 1997.
The victim, Amy Harrison, was raped at gunpoint while leaving a classroom at Frank Tillery Elementary School in Rogers, Arkansas. The assault had remained unsolved for two decades.
Following the emergence of the DNA evidence, Hardin pleaded guilty to the rape and was sentenced to an additional 50 years in prison.
Authorities continue to treat the escape as a serious threat to public safety.
A statewide manhunt is underway, and security measures have been heightened in surrounding areas.