Search ongoing: Former Gateway police chief, imprisoned for murder and rape, escapes from prison

By Chip Scarborough, Jacob Murphy, Dillon Hudson

Click here for updates on this story

    CALICO ROCK, Arkansas (KHBS) — The search for an inmate who escaped from the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock has continued into a third day, according to a news release sent by Rand Champion, spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Agencies across the state have joined the search.

Authorities said Grant Hardin, the former police chief of Gateway in Benton County, was serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder. ADOC said Hardin was also serving an additional sentence for rape.

Hardin escaped on Sunday afternoon.

Investigators said Hardin was wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement when he escaped. ADOC said Hardin was not wearing a Department of Corrections uniform, and all DOC-issued equipment has been accounted for.

Officials are investigating the events leading up to his escape.

Anyone with information on Hardin’s whereabouts should contact law enforcement immediately.

“Anytime there’s an escape, we consider that a threat to the public,” said Rand Champion with the Arkansas Department of Corrections. “He does have a law enforcement background. Anytime something like this exists, we consider it a threat to the community.”

“The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is taking every step to assist the Arkansas Department of Corrections in locating Hardin,” Lt. Shannon Jenkins said. “Hardin has strong ties to Benton County and we will be on high alert.”

Murder Case

Former Gateway Police Chief Grant Hardin pleaded guilty to first degree murder in 2017. Hardin was accused of shooting and killing James Appleton.

Hardin worked for at least four separate law enforcement departments in Northwest Arkansas before the murder he is serving prison time for. He was also elected constable for Benton County Township One.

A witness told police he saw Appleton’s truck and a white sedan on the side of the road. The witness said he heard a loud boom, and saw the sedan drive away. When the witness went to the car to investigate, he found Appleton slumped over in the seat, with a gunshot wound to the head.

Appleton’s brother-in-law said he was talking to him on the phone at the time of the shooting. Appleton told his brother-in-law a car had come flying down the road, and then stopped.

Rape Case

In February 2018, Rogers police used DNA evidence from the murder arrest to link Hardin to the 1997 rape of a Rogers school teacher.

The teacher told police she had left her classroom to use the restroom when she was approached by a man disguised with a knit stocking and sunglasses and carrying a pistol. The man raped her, and then quickly fled the scene.

The teacher was able to give a description of the suspect, and a police sketch was made. For the next 20 years, the case was unsolved. Rogers Police asked for the public’s help finding the suspect.

The TNT series Cold Justice: Sex Crimes featured a 2015 episode on the case.

There’s also a documentary on Max about the case.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.