Arkansas Fugitive Has Had a Lot of Luck on His Side

The search for escaped inmate Grant Hardin has entered its fifth day in northern Arkansas. Hardin, a convicted murderer and rapist, broke out of the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock on Sunday afternoon, dressed in a makeshift police uniform, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Authorities say bad weather in the area—including nearly 3 inches of rain through Tuesday—initially gave Hardin a head start, hampering the efforts of hundreds of officers from various agencies involved in the manhunt, per CNN.

The conditions also made it difficult to deploy drones and helicopters and limited the effectiveness of tracking dogs. The northern Arkansas landscape poses another significant challenge for searchers, as the area is known for its rocky terrain and is dense with caves. A geology professor notes that Calico Rock and its surroundings are home to potentially 300 to 400 known caves—some longer than a mile—offering ample shelter options, though their chilly, wet conditions and single entrances also present risks for anyone hiding there.

Adding to the difficulty is the fact that Hardin previously served as police chief in Gateway, Arkansas, giving him knowledge of law enforcement tactics. Authorities believe he's still in the general area. The AP reports on how Hardin's job in the prison's kitchen may have aided his escape by offering him access to certain tools or other parts of the facility. "You wouldn't immediately think of a kitchen as a source of a bunch of escape tools," criminal justice expert Bryce Peterson says. "But these people are really smart, and what they're thinking about day in and day out is how they can escape, if that's what their motivation is."

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Meanwhile, KHBS reports that a tipster reported seeing someone matching Hardin's description near a red car in the Moody/Bakersfield area of Missouri, according to the Howell County Sheriff's Office. Authorities searched the location but came up empty. NBC News has more on Hardin, whose crimes were featured in the 2023 documentary Devil in the Ozarks. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)