The convicted killer and the seized prison escaps, Grant Hardin, known as the Devil in the Occurreski, has been transferred to Varner supermax prison southeast of Little Rock, prison authorities in Arkansas said on Saturday.
After an almost two -week search in the rough mountains of North Arkansas, authorities seized Hardin on Friday at 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the prison from which he escaped. Hardin briefly tried to run from officers when he saw them approaching, but he quickly headed to the ground, said Rand Champion, a spokesman for the Arkansas prison system.
Authorities have tried to track Hardin using drones, blood bins and a helicopter, but high water from heavy rain during the search increased the water level in rivers and streams around the prison. This probably limited his abilities – and also those of the seekers – to move through the rough terrain, the champion said.
“The direction he has gone, in particular around Moccasin Creek, has seen high water due to the abundance of rain over the last few weeks, which is more likely to limit his opportunities to bypass the area,” the champion said. “Search teams had previously considered this area, but before that, high water limited their ability to investigate completely.”
Residents of the nearby city of Calico Rock, such as Roger Simons, said they were surprised to learn that Hardin was left so close to prison.
“None of us really thought he was still in the area,” said Simons, a local bartender. “We thought he was gone for a long time – I would bet on my money.”
Hardin has been held in Calico from Calico since 2017 after pleading guilty to first -degree murder in fatal shooting. He escaped, introducing himself to an employee of “in dress and way” corrections, according to a court document.
A prison employee in one of the security towers opened a protected port, which allowed him to leave the facility. Authorities say they are investigating why Hardin’s identity was not checked before he was allowed to leave.
Benton County Prosecutor Brian Sexton, who led Hardin’s sentences for murder and rape, said he was in close contact with law enforcement officers who were “consistent” with their conviction that Hardin remained in the northern Arkansas region.
Hardin is a former police chief in the small town of Gaiteway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, whose fame has led to a television documentary called The Devil in the Occurs. Sexton said his escape significantly violated the life of the trials of the trial and the victims of Hardin, which he was updated to pursue the fugitive.
“Each of them informs me that they have to make changes to their lives because they have worried about their safety,” Sexton said.
After Hardin’s recovery, “they could close in their lives and secondly, return to their normal life, which was broken all the time when he was out,” Sexton said.
Cheryl Tilman, a sister of a man shot by Hardin in 2017, told the Associated Press that the capture of Hardin is a “great sigh of relief” for her entire family.
“We do not have to walk, turn all the time, think that someone is on our back,” Tilman said, emphasizing his appreciation for the officers who helped to capture Hardin.
Sexton said he was now more arrival that Hardin was sent to a more secure facility.
The Varner department, established in 1987, has the capacity to shelter 1714 prisoners. This is where former President Governor Bill Clinton, an opponent of the death penalty, has been confronted with an accusation of an attempt to smuggle a knife and needles for tattoos in death.
Within Varner, the Special Supermax squad houses the highest-risk prisoners, as a man who fatally shot a soldier at a military station for dialing and prisoners, as a convicted rapist of children and killer Zahari Holly. Damian Wayne Echols of the three Western Memphis was also imprisoned there before his release.
“Varner is the most secure prison in the Arkansas system,” Sexton said. “I think all the things they are considering putting it (Hardin) in the most secure facility we can be is probably a reasonable thing.”