The ex-police chief from Arkansas who broke out of prison on Sunday may possess an “advantage” over other fugitives, thanks to his background in law enforcement, specialists suggest.
Former Gateway Police Department Chief Grant Hardin, 56, managed to escape from the North Central Unit, a medium-security facility, on Sunday afternoon in Calico Rock, as per the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC). Dubbed the “Devil in the Ozarks,” Hardin was serving a lengthy sentence for murder and rape.
Eric Brown, a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Army Special Forces and CEO of Imperio Consulting, explained to Fox News Digital that someone like Hardin, with his experience as a police chief, “possesses insight into law enforcement tactics, standard patrol activities, and the usual structure of search operations.”
“That gives him an initial edge. He knows how law enforcement thinks,” Brown told Fox News Digital.
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 linked 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 recaptured while two remain at large.
Hardin is described as a 6-foot White male, weighing approximately 259 pounds. The FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to his recapture and 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.
