Sat May 31 01:30:00 UTC 2025: **Former Arkansas Police Chief on the Run After Escaping Prison**

**Calico Rock, AR -** A manhunt is underway for Grant Hardin, 56, a former police chief who escaped from a Calico Rock prison Sunday. Hardin, who was serving a decades-long sentence for the 2017 murder of James Appleton and the 1997 rape of Amy Harrison, allegedly donned a makeshift law enforcement uniform to make his escape.

The escape has triggered urgent warnings from law enforcement across Arkansas and rekindled pain for the victim’s families.

Hardin’s crimes, which were featured in the 2023 Max documentary *Devil in the Ozarks*, shocked even those familiar with the darker side of law enforcement. Former Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith, who helped convict Hardin, described him as “the worst imaginable” example of a “bad apple.”

Hardin was arrested in 2017 for the murder of James Appleton, a city employee for the Gateway water department. Appleton was found shot in his truck after being seen speaking with Hardin. The motive for the murder remains unclear. Following his conviction, DNA evidence linked Hardin to the unsolved 1997 rape of Amy Harrison, a third-grade teacher, at Frank Tillery Elementary School in Rogers.

The escape has reopened old wounds for the victims’ families. Cheryl Tillman, the mayor of Gateway and Appleton’s sister, stated that Hardin’s escape has brought back the pain the family had been trying to overcome.

Hardin remains at large as of Wednesday afternoon. Multiple law enforcement agencies are assisting in the search.

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