Former police chief known as the ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ pleads not guilty to a prison escape charge

Images released by the Arkansas Department of Corrections show the recapture of Grant Hardin, an ex-police chief and convicted killer, in Calico Rock, Ark., on June 6, 2025. (Arkansas Department of Corrections via AP)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A convicted murderer and former police chief known as the “Devil in the Ozarks” pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge stemming from his recent escape from an Arkansas prison.

Grant Hardin, who was captured June 6, appeared at the hearing via video. He pleaded not guilty to second-degree escape, was found to be indigent and was appointed a public defender.

Hardin was captured 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) northwest of the Calico Rock prison from which he escaped on May 25. Authorities said he escaped by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform.

After his capture, Hardin was transferred to a maximum security prison in Varner, a small community about 65 miles (124 kilometres) southeast of Little Rock.

A jury trial was set for the week of Nov. 5, with a pretrial hearing scheduled for Oct. 21.

Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway, near the Arkansas-Missouri border, is serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary “Devil in the Ozarks.”

A spokesperson said Hardin’s escape remains under investigation. Legislators also plan to review it.