Former Arkansas Police Chief Serving Time for Murder and Rape Escapes from Prison in Disguise

Grant Hardin, the former police chief of the tiny town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, where he has been held since 2017

A convicted former Arkansas police chief serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape has escaped from a state prison, authorities confirmed Sunday.

Grant Hardin, the former police chief of Gateway, a small town near the Arkansas-Missouri border, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, where he had been incarcerated since 2017. The Arkansas Department of Corrections reported that Hardin disguised himself during the escape, wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement clothing.

Officials have not yet disclosed the method of escape, but an intensive manhunt is underway. The Division of Correction and Division of Community Correction are actively working alongside local, state, and federal law enforcement to locate Hardin.

Corrections officials did not provide any details about how he escaped

Hardin pleaded guilty in October 2017 to first-degree murder in the shooting death of 59-year-old James Appleton. According to court documents, Appleton, an employee of the Gateway water department, was speaking with his brother-in-law—then-Mayor Andrew Tillman—when he was shot in the head on February 23, 2017, near Garfield. Police later discovered Appleton’s body inside a vehicle.

At the time of the killing, Hardin had served as Gateway’s police chief for approximately four months in early 2016. He received a 30-year prison sentence for Appleton’s murder.

In addition to the murder conviction, Hardin is also serving a 50-year sentence for a 1997 rape case involving an elementary school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas, located north of Fayetteville. That case remained unsolved for years until investigators used DNA evidence collected from the crime scene to issue a John Doe warrant in 2003, as the statute of limitations neared. A breakthrough came when Hardin’s DNA matched the sample following his imprisonment for Appleton’s murder.

The North Central Unit in Calico Rock

The escape has raised significant concerns, given Hardin’s violent criminal history and the elaborate disguise used during his breakout. Authorities are urging the public to remain vigilant and report any sightings immediately, emphasizing that Hardin should be considered dangerous.