Calico Rock, AR – Grant Hardin, the convicted murderer and former police chief known nationally as the “Devil in the Ozarks,” has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from his recent escape from an Arkansas prison.
Hardin, who was captured on June 6, entered his plea to second-degree escape during a court hearing held via video conference on Tuesday. He was found to be indigent and was appointed a public defender. A jury trial has been scheduled for the week of November 5, with a pretrial hearing set for October 21.
The escape occurred on May 25, when Hardin allegedly walked out of the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, disguised in clothing made to resemble a law enforcement uniform. He remained on the run for nearly two weeks before being captured just 1.5 miles northwest of the facility.
Following his capture, Hardin was transferred to the Varner Unit, a maximum-security prison located approximately 65 miles southeast of Little Rock.
Hardin, a former police chief in Gateway, near the Arkansas-Missouri border, is currently serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. His crimes were chronicled in the televised true-crime documentary “Devil in the Ozarks.”
Authorities have confirmed that the circumstances surrounding Hardin’s escape remain under investigation, and state legislators are expected to review the incident in the coming months.
