Investigators said they believe that a convicted murderer and former police chief known as the “Devil in the Ozark s” has likely fled Arkansas after escaping from prison last month, a federal court filing released this week shows.
A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Little Rock against Grant Hardin, who escaped prison last month, was released this week. Authorities have said Hardin escaped the Calico Rock prison in Arkansas by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform.
In the complaint, Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert J. Hammons cites two previously publicized unconfirmed sightings of Hardin — one in central Arkansas and another in southern Missouri.
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“Based on this information, investigators believe Hardin has fled the state of Arkansas to avoid recapture,” the filing said. “He has extensive knowledge of the Ozark Mountain region, where he is believed to be possibly hiding in caves or rugged terrain that he is familiar with.”
The complaint, first reported by The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, does not detail any other sightings of Hardin or evidence of him fleeing the state. Arkansas authorities have previously said they are focusing on north-central Arkansas and tips of sightings elsewhere so far have not panned out.
“Until there’s any confirmed, verifiable sightings or evidence that puts him outside the area, we’re still focusing the search on this area,” Rand Champion, spokesman for the Department of Corrections, said Thursday.
Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary “Devil in the Ozarks.”
A spokesperson for the Missouri Highway Patrol said it does not have an active team searching for Hardin, but the patrol has been watching for him and following up on any tips. Lt. Eric F. Brown said the patrol has received two tips about Hardin being in Missouri but both were unfounded.
Hardin was housed in a maximum-security wing of the primarily medium security prison, formally known as the North Central Unit. Officials are investigating whether a job Hardin held in the kitchen helped in his escape, including whether it gave him access to materials he could have used to fashion his makeshift uniform.
In a rambling 11-page letter to an Arkansas judge in 2018, Hardin said he started working in the prison’s kitchen about eight years ago. In the letter, Hardin wrote that he told his defense lawyer that he wanted to withdraw his plea agreement in the murder case but was unable to do so.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections this week released a new photo rendering of Hardin, depicting what he may look like now. The photo depicts Hardin with hair on his head and facial hair.
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