Arkansas city on edge after ‘Satan within the Ozarks,’ a former police chief and convicted killer, escapes jail

A small Arkansas city is on edge after a former police chief convicted of fatally taking pictures a person and sexually assaulting an elementary trainer escaped from jail Sunday sporting a “makeshift” legislation enforcement uniform.

Residents of Garfield expressed worry and anger because the seek for Grant Hardin entered its third day.

“This complete weekend, I’ve saved the home locked,” Brenda Fields, 60, stated in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “He was in legislation enforcement, so he’s not simply your common individual. That makes me extra nervous as a result of he had that background.”

Rex Littrell lives up the road from Hardin’s dad and mom in Garfield, a city of about 600 folks in northwest Arkansas, about 40 miles northeast of Fayetteville and and never removed from the Missouri border. He stated that due to the character of the crimes, Hardin ought to have been beneath cautious watch.

“He ought to by no means have had an opportunity to flee. He’s killed someone and he’s raped someone,” he stated.

Fields, who lives throughout the road from Hardin’s dad and mom, stated she realized of his escape on Fb.

“My dad lives proper subsequent to us, too, and he’s locked all of his stuff up, locked up the outbuildings,” she added, saying she’s “scared.” “I want they’d hurry up and discover him.”

Hardin, the previous police chief within the neighboring city of Gateway, has been on the run since Sunday afternoon after escaping from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, which is about 140 miles east of Garfield. He was convicted of killing Gateway Metropolis water worker James Appleton in 2017, and raping trainer Amy Harrison in 1997 — circumstances featured within the Max documentary “Satan within the Ozarks.”

He served because the Gateway police chief for about 4 months in early 2016. He additionally held jobs as an officer, a county constable and a corrections officer, NBC affiliate KNWA of Fayetteville reported.

The Stone County Sheriff’s Workplace stated he escaped by means of a sally port, a managed entry or exit space on the facility. He was sporting a “makeshift outfit designed to imitate legislation enforcement” when he broke out, officers have stated.

A photograph launched by the sheriff’s workplace confirmed Hardin wearing all black, showing to push a wheeled cart with picket pallets on it.

Legislation enforcement businesses from throughout the state have joined the seek for Hardin. As of Tuesday afternoon, he remained at massive, and the Arkansas Division of Corrections had no new updates.

The Izard County Sheriff’s Workplace warned residents to maintain their doorways locked and keep inside, county officers stated.

The ignorance about Hardin’s whereabouts is irritating for Cheryl Tillman, the mayor of Gateway and sister of Appleton.

“It brings again numerous reminiscences of when it first occurred,” she stated. “I can’t consider this has occurred, I imply, what have been they doing down on the jail that this occurred?”

Tillman stated legislation enforcement has not reached out to her household about Hardin’s escape. She realized of the information Sunday from an automatic telephone name from a jail messaging system.

“All it stated was that Grant Hardin had escaped from jail,” she recalled. “No person’s been involved with us. … I discover it fairly unhappy that authorities haven’t reached out to us.”

She stated folks in the neighborhood “are slightly scared.” Tillman has taken additional precautions by having somebody along with her when she goes to work.

“You simply have to remain vigilant and watch your environment,” she stated. “That’s what I do.”

Hardin was serving a 30-year sentence for Appleton’s homicide in addition to a 50-year sentence for the sexual assault of Harrison when he escaped.

Appleton was speaking to his brother-in-law when he was shot in his automotive Feb. 23, 2017, in keeping with an affidavit filed within the case. The next 12 months, a DNA pattern linked him to the chilly case rape of Harrison at Frank Tillery Elementary College. Hardin pleaded responsible in each circumstances.

Harrison declined to remark when contacted by NBC Information on Tuesday.

Fields stated Appleton was all the time a “very nice man.”

“He used to return to our home as soon as a month to learn the water meter,” she stated.

Littrell stated there was “no motive for James to have died.”

“There was no motive for what occurred to James to have occurred. It was simply bloody homicide,” he stated, calling Appleton a “good man.”

Tillman stated the household has struggled to maneuver on over time, and Hardin’s escape provides to their ache.

“I wouldn’t say the primary couple of years have been simple. They have been fairly exhausting,” she stated. “Then you definitely try to go on, and issues subsided, after which ‘wham’ all this comes again up once more. It’s very exhausting.”