Ex-police chief and ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ killer Grant Hardin captured after nearly 2 weeks on run in prison break

NY Post ^ | 6/06/25 | Caitlin McCormack

[Libloather]

The former police chief, convicted murderer and rapist dubbed the “Devil in the Ozarks,” was nabbed less than two miles from the Arkansas prison he escaped two weeks ago, authorities said Friday.

Grant Hardin, 56, has evaded capture since walking out of Calico Rock prison on May 25 — despite searchers employing bloodhounds, officers on horseback, drones, helicopters and an elite US Border Patrol team.

“Escapee Grant Hardin was captured this afternoon approximately 1.5 miles west of the prison grounds by law enforcement officials,” the Izard County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.

“His identity was confirmed by fingerprint analysis prior to this announcement notifying the public.”

The highly trained Border Patrol Tactical Team, or BORTAC, provided “advanced search capabilities and operational support” to authorities in the search for Hardin, US Customs and Border Protection said.

Its members are accustomed to navigating complex terrain, including the Ozark Mountains region Hardin escaped to.

The killer was a police chief in a quiet town near the Arkansas-Missouri border until he raped and killed a local elementary school teacher in 1997. His crimes were later portrayed in the TV documentary “Devil in the Ozarks.

[EVO X]

Ditto GREAT.

I wonder if this is a repeat of the prison breakout in upstate NY a few years ago. The guy was suppose to be in a maximum security wing of his prison. Was it lax security or did he get some actual help from staff? We wont know for awhile....