Grant Hardin Former Arkansas police chief sentenced for murder and rape escapes
Former police chief sentenced for murder and rape escapes from prisonGrant Hardin, the former police chief of Gateway in Benton County, Arkansas, has been serving a 30-year sentence since 2017.Stone County Arkansas Sheriff’s Office.
Grant Hardin, 56, who has been in prison since 2017 for first-degree murder and rape, escaped the Calico Rock North Central Unit on Sunday at approximately 2:50 p.m., the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Hardin is “considered to be extremely dangerous and should not be approached,” officials said.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections, state police and other local and state law enforcement offices are working together in the search for Hardin, officials said.
He is described as 6 feet tall and weighs 259 pounds.
Hardin pleaded guilty in October 2017 to first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of 59-year-old James Appleton, according to The Associated Press.
He is also serving 50 years in prison for the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers, Arkansas, the AP said.
