Overview

• The August 15 critical incident report confirms Grant Hardin spent six months planning his May 25 escape and used kitchen laxity to assemble a fake law-enforcement uniform
• Two employees were fired and others disciplined after the review found unsupervised dock access and a guard’s unauthorized gate unlocking enabled the breakout
• The report reveals Hardin had not received a custody-classification review since October 2019 and was held at a medium-security facility despite his risk level, and it also details early confusion over agency notifications
• Reforms already implemented include removal of electric gate locks, installation of cameras to cover blind spots and expanded shakedown searches of mechanical and side rooms
• Hardin remains in maximum-security custody after pleading not guilty to escape charges with a November trial set, and separate legislative and state police probes are ongoing