Who is Grant Hardin, 'Devil in the Ozarks' ex-police chief who escaped Arkansas prison?

Former Arkansas police chief Grant Hardin was serving a decades-long sentence for a brutal rape and murder when he escaped from a Calico Rock prison.

A former Arkansas police chief was serving a decadeslong sentence for a brutal rape and a murder when he escaped from a Calico Rock prison Sunday by disguising himself in a "makeshift" law enforcement uniform, officials said.

The ongoing search for Grant Hardin, 56, has sparked urgent warnings from local law enforcement, put residents of a small northwest Arkansas town on edge and reignited feelings of hurt and pain that the family of one victim had tried to bury.

Several law enforcement agencies across the state are assisting with the search for Hardin, whose crimes were featured in the 2023 Max documentary "Devil in the Ozarks."

Grant Hardin.Arkansas Department of CorrectionsFormer Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith, who helped put Hardin in prison, said the crimes were "shocking."

"Anytime you have a former law enforcement officer accused and convicted and committed these crimes, I think it shocks everyone," he said Wednesday.