Overview

• Grant Hardin slipped away from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock on May 25 during a routine inmate count by donning a makeshift law enforcement–style outfit.
• He was serving a combined 80-year sentence for the 2017 murder of city water employee James Appleton and the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher.
• The Arkansas Department of Corrections, state police and local sheriff’s offices have established roadblocks across multiple counties and deployed K-9 units and drones, though heavy rain has slowed efforts.
• Authorities describe Hardin as 6 feet tall, 259 pounds and warn that he is extremely dangerous and should not be approached by the public.
• Prison officials are reviewing surveillance footage and conducting staff interviews to determine how Hardin obtained his disguise and breached high-security protocols.