Prison Escape of “Ozark Devil” Leads to Internal Review

The murderer known as the “Ozark Devil” planned his escape from an Arkansas prison for several months, resulting in a two-week manhunt. This information comes from an internal review released by prison officials on Friday.

Grant Hardin, 56, a former police chief, briefly evaded capture after fleeing on May 25. He was apprehended just two miles away after spending nearly two weeks on the run.

According to the prison investigation, Hardin impersonated a guard to make his escape, wearing a homemade police uniform crafted from materials he stealthily gathered during his time in prison. That included items from the kitchen, like used markers and folded laundry, which he cleverly transformed into his disguise.

He even fashioned a fake badge from an old tin lid, creating a convincing enough appearance to slip through security checks.

The report revealed Hardin had hidden supplies in the bottom of the kitchen trash, believing no one would look there. This was apparently a factor in the lax security that allowed him to escape.

Following his escape, two prison employees were fired, including some kitchen staff who left convicted criminals unattended, and security personnel who failed to verify Hardin’s identity as he exited.

As he detailed to officials, Hardin planned to live in the woods for about six months, surviving on insects, bird eggs, berries, and whatever water he could find. He suggested that he would lie low until things settled down before making further plans.

The report identified shortcomings in Hardin’s classification, stating that he should not have been placed in a moderate-security facility in the first place. Upon recapture, he was transferred to a maximum-security prison.

In response to the escape, the corrections department announced new measures. They will remove the electronic lock on the gate to prevent unauthorized exits and add more surveillance cameras, along with bolstering protocols to mitigate contraband access.

Hardin, who maintains his innocence regarding the escape, is set to face trial in November. His long-standing sentence stems from the 1997 murder and rape of an elementary school teacher, a case that garnered attention in the TV documentary “The Devil’s Ozark.”