Convicted Criminal ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ Reveals Detailed Escape Plan from Arkansas Prison

After a 10-day manhunt, the notorious convicted murderer and rapist, infamously known as the “Devil in the Ozarks,” was apprehended. He had initially escaped from the Calico Rock prison on May 25th. Grant Hardin, a former Arkansas police chief and subject of the HBO Max documentary series “Devil in the Ozarks,” is facing an escape charge and will go on trial in November.

Hardin allegedly revealed details about his daring prison break to Arkansas Division of Corrections Director Dexter Payne during multiple interviews. He admitted to planning and preparing for six months to escape, while serving a 30-year sentence for murder and two 25-year sentences for rape.

Following his capture, Hardin, aged 56, detailed his meticulous preparations to a state Department of Corrections’ critical incident review committee. He described coloring his clothing and a hat, and wearing what appeared to be a law enforcement stab vest made from black aprons from the prison’s kitchen.

The report released by the committee on Friday highlighted procedural issues at the facility that may have contributed to Hardin’s success in escaping. The report states that “Inmate Hardin was inconsistent and deceptive in answering all questions” during his interviews with committee members. However, investigators were able to verify certain details provided by Hardin that were included in their report.

Hardin had been assigned to work in the prison kitchen and allegedly exploited this position to access supplies and unsupervised time. He used black aprons from the kitchen and nearby laundry, along with black Sharpie markers, to color a regular white inmate uniform and hat. The uniform was completed by adding the word “POLICE” in white on the back, while a lid from a food can was molded to resemble a shiny silver badge for the vest.

Hardin claimed he hid his disguise and necessary items in a trash can at the kitchen due to it never being searched. He overheard a deputy warden inform one of the kitchen supervisors that inmates would no longer be able to work on the dock alone on May 25th, the day he escaped. Seizing this opportunity, Hardin gathered his belongings, food, and even made a homemade ladder as a backup plan to climb over the fence, but it remained unused.

The prison went into lockdown as officials organized a search for Hardin. A cart with the pallet ladder was found abandoned, and a K-9 team began tracking him. However, they lost his scent. Somewhere along the way, the K-9 team discovered Hardin’s homemade badge hanging on a bush during their search.

On his first night in the Arkansas woods, Hardin allegedly hid from the tracking K-9 teams. He admitted to having planned to hide for six months if necessary, but due to being cut off from his food supplies by the search teams, he was forced to start moving west.

The critical incident review committee identified several procedural issues at the facility that may have contributed to Hardin’s escape. These included confusion over which agency was responsible for the initial response to the escape, and some workers not being properly notified of the escape. The report recommends corrective action, policy changes, increased surveillance cameras, replacing black aprons with white ones, and modifications to the types of locks used on doors.

Two employees at the prison have been dismissed for policy violations, while others received disciplinary actions for breaches of the code of conduct. However, it was stated that there is no evidence employees knowingly assisted Hardin’s escape, and he has denied receiving help from other inmates. The Arkansas Department of Corrections declined to provide any additional comment on the report.

Following his capture on June 6th, Hardin was transferred to a maximum-security prison in Varner, Arkansas, about 75 miles southeast of Little Rock.