Marshals say ’Devil in the Ozarks’ who escaped Arkansas prison has likely fled state

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Investigators believe that a convicted murderer and former police chief known as the “Devil in the Ozarks” has likely fled Arkansas after escaping from prison last month, a federal court filing released this week shows.

A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Little Rock against Grant Hardin, who escaped prison last month, was released this week. Authorities have said Hardin escaped the Calico Rock prison in Arkansas by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform.

In the complaint, Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert J. Hammons cites two previously publicized unconfirmed sightings of Hardin _ one in central Arkansas and another in southern Missouri.

“Based on this information, investigators believe Hardin has fled the state of Arkansas to avoid recapture,” the filing said. “He has extensive knowledge of the Ozark Mountain region, where he is believed to be possibly hiding in caves or rugged terrain that he is familiar with.”

The complaint, first reported by The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, does not detail any other sightings of Hardin or evidence of him fleeing the state. Arkansas authorities have previously said they’re focusing on north-central Arkansas and tips of sightings elsewhere so far have not panned out.

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

Hardin was housed in a maximum-security wing of the primarily medium security prison, formally known as the North Central Unit. Officials are investigating whether a job Hardin held in the kitchen helped in his escape, including whether it gave him access to materials he could have used to fashion his makeshift uniform.

The Arkansas Department of Corrections this week released a new photo rendering of Hardin, depicting what he may look like now.