CALICO ROCK, Ark. — A former Arkansas police chief convicted of both murder and rape has escaped from prison while disguised as a law enforcement officer, prompting a multi-agency manhunt, corrections officials confirmed Sunday.
Grant Hardin, once the police chief of Gateway—a small town near the Arkansas-Missouri border—escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, where he had been incarcerated since 2017. The Arkansas Department of Corrections provided no immediate details about how Hardin managed the escape but confirmed he wore a makeshift uniform designed to resemble official law enforcement attire.
Authorities are working with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to track Hardin down. As of Monday, he remains at large.
Hardin, 53, pleaded guilty in October 2017 to first-degree murder for the execution-style killing of 59-year-old James Appleton, an employee of the Gateway water department. Appleton was shot in the head while speaking to his brother-in-law, then-Gateway Mayor Andrew Tillman, on Feb. 23, 2017, near Garfield. Police later discovered Appleton’s body inside a vehicle.
Hardin, who served as Gateway’s police chief for just four months in 2016, received a 30-year sentence for the murder.
In addition, Hardin is also serving a 50-year sentence for a 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas, located north of Fayetteville. That cold case was revived in 2003 when police used DNA samples from the scene to apply for a John Doe warrant ahead of the statute of limitations. Investigators were able to match the DNA to Hardin after his imprisonment in the Appleton murder case.
Officials say Hardin managed to impersonate a law enforcement officer during his escape, though they have not revealed how he acquired or fabricated the disguise. His law enforcement background may have contributed to his ability to construct a believable uniform.
The Arkansas Division of Correction and Division of Community Correction are coordinating the search effort, urging the public to report any sightings but not to approach Hardin, who is considered dangerous.
The escape has sparked intense scrutiny over prison security at the North Central Unit, a medium-security facility that houses male inmates.
Hardin’s disappearance raises critical questions about oversight, inmate monitoring, and vulnerabilities in correctional protocols, particularly for inmates with violent histories and tactical experience from former roles in law enforcement.
As of now, no timeline has been given for when more details about the escape will be released, though officials assure the public that every effort is being made to apprehend the fugitive swiftly.
