Two employees at an Arkansas prison have been terminated for policy violations following the escape of Grant Hardin, an inmate known as the “Devil in the Ozarks,” corrections officials announced Thursday. The firings came as officials faced sharp criticism from state lawmakers, who contend the incident points to systemic failures rather than isolated mistakes.
Benny Magness, chairperson of the Arkansas Board of Corrections, told a legislative subcommittee that one fired employee had allowed Hardin onto an unsupervised kitchen dock, while another in a guard tower opened a gate for him without confirming his identity. While officials stated there was no evidence the employees knowingly aided the escape, Magness said, “If either one of them would have been following policy, it wouldn’t have happened.”
Hardin, who was recaptured 1.5 miles from the facility on June 6, walked out of the Calico Rock prison on May 25 wearing a makeshift law enforcement uniform. Officials said he crafted the outfit from an inmate uniform and a kitchen apron dyed black with a marker, fashioning a badge from a soup can lid and a Bible cover. He also built a ladder from wooden pallets and took peanut butter sandwiches for sustenance.
Lawmakers argued that the escape highlights deeper institutional problems, questioning how Hardin could assemble his disguise and equipment undetected. “I think we’ve got major issues here that need to be dealt with,” said State Senator Matt McKee, a Republican who co-chairs the oversight panel. Legislators also called for scrutiny of the classification system that placed Hardin, who is serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape, in a primarily medium-security facility.
Hardin, a former police chief in the town of Gateway and the subject of a TV documentary, reportedly had no disciplinary problems while working in the prison’s kitchen. Following his capture, he was transferred to a maximum-security prison in Varner. He has pleaded not guilty to a new charge of escape, with a trial set for November.
Dexter Payne, director of the Division of Correction, announced that a critical incident review in July will determine if further disciplinary action is warranted and what policy changes will be implemented. The prison’s warden, Thomas Hurst, acknowledged the facility’s responsibility, telling lawmakers, “There’s nobody that’s more embarrassed about it than me. We failed, and I understand it.”
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