'Devil in the Ozarks': FBI offers $10k reward for capture of former Arkansas police chief on the run
Share and Follow


The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the re-capture of a former Arkansas police chief serving time for murder and rape — dubbed “the Devil in the Ozarks” — who escaped on the afternoon of May 25.

Former Gateway Police Department Chief Grant Hardin, 56, escaped from the North Central Unit, a medium-security prison, that Sunday afternoon in Calico Rock, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC).

The FBI said Hardin has ties to Garfield, Eureka Springs, Holiday Island and Huntsville. 

“The FBI’s Little Rock Field Office is assisting the U.S. Marshal Service, the Arkansas Department of Corrections, and the Arkansas State Police with the search for and apprehension of Grant Matthew Hardin,” reads an FBI wanted poster.

Hardin was sentenced to 30 years for murder plus additional time for rape. 

He pleaded guilty to the 2017 murder of James Appleton, 59, a city water employee who was found shot in the face inside his work truck, KNWA reported. While Hardin was being booked into the state prison around that time, officials submitted his DNA sample into a database. His DNA ended up linking him to the rape cold case of a teacher in 1997, the outlet reported. 

Hardin ended up pleading guilty in that case in 2019, according to KNWA.

The former police chief’s escape came two days after 10 prisoners escaped a correctional facility in New Orleans, eight of whom have since been re-captured while two remain at large.

Hardin is described as a 6 ft. white male, weighing approximately 259 pounds. The FBI is asking tipsters to call 1-800-CALL-FBI with any information concerning the escapee.

Fox News’ Stepheny Price and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Riley with his adopter on the day he went home.

New Home Found for Dog Saved from Eaton Fire

When firefighters battled the flames of the Eaton Fire earlier this year,…
Kerrville, Texas flooding: Camp girls missing after Guadalupe River flood waters hit Camp Mystic; at least 27 dead

Search Operation Underway for Missing Girls at Camp Mystic in Kerrville, Texas Following Flooding and 27 Fatalities Reported

KERRVILLE, Texas — Rescuers were searching Saturday for more than two dozen…
North Westside Jacksonville shooting leaves man dead

“2 Hospitalized After Shooting at Mississippi Way Block Party, LCPD Reports”

The Lake City Police Department says officers found multiple spent shell casings…
Birmingham Police searching for 2 suspects involved in armed robbery

Birmingham Police on the lookout for 2 individuals linked to armed robbery

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The Birmingham Police Department is requesting the public’s…
Heartbroken family of late soccer player Diogo Jota arrives at funeral in Portugal

Diogo Jota’s grieving family attends his funeral in Portugal

Liverpool players had come together in the quaint Portuguese town of Gondomar…
Kristi Noem addresses concerns about warnings sent during Texas storms

Kristi Noem talks about concerns regarding alerts sent during storms in Texas

Flooding has caused an average of more than 125 deaths per year…
Tucker Carlson interviews the president of IRAN

Interview between Tucker Carlson and the President of Iran

Tucker Carlson has interviewed the President of Iran about whether the Middle Eastern…
Trump reacts to claim Iran could force US to pay for strike damage

Trump responds to suggestion that Iran might make the US cover costs of attack damage

Donald Trump laughed at the suggestion that Iran could make the United…