A former small-town police chief in Arkansas escaped from jail on Sunday while serving decades-long terms for murder and rape, and he is still at large, authorities said Wednesday.
Grant Hardin, 56, escaped from a state prison in northern Arkansas on Sunday afternoon after appearing to impersonate law officers in an attempt to break out, according to the state Department of Corrections.
Multiple organizations from across the state, including state police and many sheriff’s offices, are working together to find Hardin.
The breakout occurred just days after ten criminals got out of a New Orleans jail on May 16. Two of those inmates are still on the run, and 13 persons have been charged in connection with the jailbreak, including a maintenance worker for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. It wasn’t immediately evident how Hardin planned his breakthrough.
Here’s what we know about the former police chief:
How did he escape?
Hardin escaped from the North Central Unit jail in Calico Rock around 2:55 p.m. on Sunday, according to a news release from the Texas Department of Corrections. Authorities had stated that he escaped approximately 3:40 p.m., but changed the time after checking security footage.
According to preliminary reports, authorities discovered Hardin gone during a regular count around 15 to 20 minutes after he fled, but an investigation into the timing of events is still ongoing, according to Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
Hardin appeared to be wearing a “makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement” at the time of his escape, but not a Department of Corrections uniform, according to the department on Sunday. It did not provide any other information about how he is believed to have escaped.
A surveillance photograph appears to show Hardin wearing black slacks, a black T-shirt, and a black baseball cap, as well as what appears to be a bulletproof vest. He looks to be pushing a cart that contains a box and numerous pieces of wood. The Stone County Sheriff’s Office believes he exited through a sally port, a regulated and secure entry point commonly seen in jails.
Officials are still working out the specifics of how he escaped, what means he utilized, and whether anyone assisted him, Champion said during a news conference Wednesday. He also stated that the improvised uniform he was wearing at the time of his escape was not regular issue for convicts or correctional personnel, therefore they are investigating how he obtained the clothing.
It was also pouring “fairly significantly” when Hardin escaped, and it has continued for several days, Champion said Tuesday. “It has hindered some aspects of the search process, including the tracking capability of the canines and the ability to fly drones, as well as making conditions more treacherous in general for search teams,” he told me.
Rain was still a problem Wednesday, Champion stated during the press conference.
Hardin, who has been in prison since 2017, formerly served as the police chief for Gateway, a tiny town on the Missouri border, and has extensive law enforcement experience. According to an Investigation Discovery report on the matter, he held the role for four months in 2016.
Throughout his career, he worked as a police officer, chief of police, and county constable, according to the documentary.
Hardin previously worked as a police officer in Fayetteville, Huntsville, and Eureka Springs, Arkansas. After being accused of falsifying information in a report, he was fired from the Fayetteville Police Department but was allowed to resign rather than fired from the Eureka Springs Police Department, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. He was a correctional officer at the Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center in Fayetteville when he committed the murder for which he eventually pleaded guilty, according to the newspaper.