The Hunt Continues for Escaped Prisoner

The intense manhunt for escapee Grant Hardin is now entering its second week, with more questions than answers being revealed.

Grant, who escaped last Sunday from the North Central Unit, did so by walking through the unit’s main security entrance while dressed in clothing mimicking a law enforcement officer’s appearance. One of the investigations currently underway is how Hardin was able to fabricate what he was wearing. Another  security “lapse” is being further investigated concerning why a guard opened the prison gate without verifying whom Hardin was.

Possible sightings have been reported as far as Faulkner and Sebastian County, Arkansas, as well as Howell County, Missouri, but have led nowhere, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Investigators said the search is still focused on North Central Arkansas, an area with dense forest, caves, rivers, and treacherous terrain. The manhunt is being carried out via boots on the ground, drones, dogs, horseback, helicopters, and more. Unfortunately bad weather has confounded the hunt for Hardin.

Tracking dogs found – then lost – Hardin’s scent when heavy rains blew through the area, according to state prison spokesman Rand Champion. Hardin was tracked for less than a quarter of a mile when the bloodhound lost the trail. The fugitive could have gone in any direction after that.

“That was one of the most frustrating things, that they were able to track him but then they lost him because of the rain,” Champion said.

The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and is asking anyone with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.