Arkansas Prison Employees Fired After ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ Escape

One of the fired employees had allowed Hardin onto an outside kitchen dock unsupervised, and the other employee worked in a tower and had opened the gate Hardin

The recapture of escaped inmate Grant Hardin, an ex-police chief and convicted killer, by Arkansas law enforcement officers and the U.S. Border Patrol, June 6, 2025, near Moccasin Creek in Izard County, about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of Calico Rock prison. in Calico Rock, Ark. Arkansas Department of Corrections via AP

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—Two employees at an Arkansas prison where an inmate known as the “Devil in the Ozarks” escaped have been fired for policy violations, corrections officials said Thursday as they faced questions from lawmakers who said the escape points to deeper problems.

The head of the Arkansas Board of Corrections told state lawmakers the violations allowed Grant Hardin to escape from the Calico Rock prison wearing a makeshift law enforcement uniform on May 25. But officials have said there was no evidence employees knowingly assisted Hardin’s escape.