The manhunt for Grant Hardin, a former Arkansas police chief convicted of murder and rape, has gripped national headlines. Authorities continue searching the rugged Ozark Mountains days after his daring prison escape.
Described as a “sociopath” and “evil” by those who knew him, Hardin, 56, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Arkansas, on Sunday, May 25, 2025, by impersonating a corrections officer.
A Calculated Escape
Hardin’s escape was as chilling as it was audacious. According to a probable cause affidavit, he dressed like a corrections officer and pushed a loading cart through a secured gate, fooling a prison guard into letting him walk out.
“Inmate Hardin impersonated a corrections officer in dress and manner, causing the corrections officer operating the gate to open the gate and allow inmate Hardin to walk away,” the affidavit filed in Izard County court reads.
Authorities later clarified that Hardin’s outfit was not an official Department of Corrections uniform but rather something homemade or smuggled in.
