Manhunt underway after disgraced former police chief convicted of murder, rape escapes Arkansas prison

An urgent manhunt is underway in Arkansas after a disgraced former police chief who was serving time for murder and rape escaped from prison The Arkansas Department of Corrections stated Grant Hardin escaped from the North Central Unit on Sunday afternoon in Calico Rock AR Anyone with information about inmate Hardin s whereabouts should contact local law enforcement forthwith officials declared in a post on X Authorities announced Hardin has been at the North Central Unit since serving a -year sentence for first-degree murder as well as an additional sentence for rape ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY AIDING ESCAPED INMATES IN NEW ORLEANSThe jail added that Hardin was the former chief of police for the city of Gateway Hardin pleaded guilty to the murder of James Appleton a city water employee who was located shot in the face inside his work truck KNWA disclosed While Hardin was being booked into the state prison agents submitted his DNA sample into a database His DNA ended up linking him to the rape cold episode of a coach in the outlet released NEW ORLEANS DISTRICT ATTORNEY BLASTS SHERIFF OVER BOTCHED PRISON ESCAPE INVESTIGATIONThe victim Amy Harrison a facilitator at Frank Tillery Elementary in Rogers disclosed she was raped by a man with a gun at the school It was proven to be Mr Hardin beyond all scientific certainty Nathan Smith the prosecuting attorney for Benton County at the time advised the outlet FORMER NEW ORLEANS POLICE CHIEF CRITICIZES SHERIFF'S 'CHECKERED PAST' AFTER JAILBREAKAuthorities validated Hardin s DNA matched the DNA linked to the rape suspect Harrison was ambushed while preparing a lesson plan for the week The situation had been cold for nearly two decades Hardin ended up pleading guilty to the rape in Grant Hardin in my view and in my personal experience is one of the greater part dangerous people that I ever seen for the reason that he does not at first appear that way Smith previously revealed He is a man capable of a seemingly random horrific murder as well as a random horrific rape Hardin is described as a ' white male weighing approximately pounds