Grant Hardin, notorious for his moniker “Devil in the Ozarks,” and infamous for both his conviction as a killer and a prison escapee, has been relocated to the Varner SuperMax prison located to the southeast of Little Rock, Arkansas, as per recent announcements from prison authorities in the USA.
According to Rand Champion, an Arkansas prison system spokesperson, Hardin made a brief attempt to flee when officers approached him, but he was swiftly subdued and brought under control.
Following Hardin’s capture, “they were able to gain closure and return to their routine lives, which had been significantly disrupted during his escape,” Sexton remarked.
Cheryl Tillman, the sister of a man shot by Hardin in 2017, told The Associated Press that Hardin’s capture was a “big sigh of relief” for her whole family.
“We don’t have to walk around, turning around all the time, thinking somebody’s on our back,” Tillman said, emphasising her appreciation for the officers who helped capture Hardin.
Sexton said he was more assured now that Hardin was being sent to a more secure facility.
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The Varner Unit, established in 1987, has the capacity to house 1714 inmates. It is the site where former US President Bill Clinton’s gubernatorial chief of staff, a death penalty opponent, faced charges for trying to smuggle a knife and tattoo needles into death row.
Within Varner, a special “supermax” unit houses the most high-risk prisoners such as a man who fatally shot a soldier at a military recruiting station and death row inmates such as convicted child rapist and murderer Zachary Holly. Damien Wayne Echols of the West Memphis Three was also incarcerated there prior to his release.
“By reputation, Varner is the most secure prison in the Arkansas system,” Sexton said. “I think that all things considering, putting him (Hardin) in the most secure facility we can is probably a wise thing to do.”
