Grant Hardin’s federal escape charge dropped, Arkansas charge to remain in place
Prosecutors dropped a federal escape charge against Grant Hardin
By Yuna Lee, Adam Roberts
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IZARD COUNTY, Arkansas (KHBS) — Prosecutors dropped a federal escape charge against a former police chief in prison for murder and rape, court documents show.
Grant Hardin worked in law enforcement for decades before he was arrested. He was serving time for murder and rape when he escaped last month.
The documents did not state why the charge was being dropped. Arkansas’ state charge of escape remains in place.
Hardin pleaded not guilty to second-degree escape before a judge in Izard County, Arkansas earlier this week.
His new could add 5 to 20 years to his current sentences.
How Grant Hardin escaped
Hardin escaped from the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock, Arkansas.
The 35-year-old prison has a capacity for 800 inmates, according to the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADOC) website.
On Sunday, May 25, Hardin put on a makeshift outfit that looked like an Arkansas Department of Corrections uniform.
He then pretended to be a jailer and tricked a real corrections officer into opening a gate and letting Hardin walk away, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed Tuesday.
“You know, there was probably a lot of foresight,” Arkansas Department of Corrections communications director Rand Champion said. “A lot of planning. You know, his background as a law enforcement officer probably gave him some more insight than probably the typical prisoner would have.”
Gateway Mayor Cheryl Tillman is the sister of the man Hardin killed in 2017. She still has a lot of questions about his escape:
“All of us in the family, we still have a lot of questions of why he was at that prison, why he got to do what he did, why he had so much leeway and why that guard let him out. What made them think they could trust him?”
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