Former police chief, serving murder and rape sentences, escapes from Arkansas prison
May 27, 2025
A former police chief in Arkansas who is serving decades-long sentences for murder and rape escaped from prison. Grant Hardin, the former police chief of the tiny town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, escaped Sunday from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, where he has been held since 2017. Arkansas corrections officials did not provide any details about how he escaped. They did say that Hardin had disguised himself and was “wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement.” Hardin is serving 30 years for the 2017 death of 59-year-old James Appleton and 50 years for the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers.
