Hourly phone calls, lack of supervision and recycled cans aided in Hardin’s escape, reports show

CALICO ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Lax security, policy mistakes and staff missteps allowed convicted murderer and rapist Grant Hardin to escape from the North Central Unit on May 25, 2025, and remain free for nearly two weeks, according to a newly released critical incident review.

Ordered June 16 by Arkansas prison director Dexter Payne, the review by a Critical Incident Committee examined the escape, identified failures and recommended fixes.

The escape

According to the report, Hardin, 55, was assigned as a chemical clerk in the prison kitchen. On the day of the escape, kitchen supervisor FPS Justin Delvalle allowed him unsupervised access to the back dock and an unlocked side room used for storing pallets and recycling cans.

At 2:53 p.m., surveillance cameras captured Hardin emerging from a blind spot on the dock, wearing altered black clothing, a vest and a black hat. He pulled a cart containing a homemade ladder made of pallets and a box.

The disguise included a vest fashioned from black kitchen aprons with “POLICE” outlined in white and a badge made from a cut kitchen can lid.

Hardin walked to the sally port gate, told the tower officer to open it, and exited. He was last seen heading toward the facility’s ICC garage before disappearing from camera view.

By 3:16 p.m., staff confirmed he was missing, and the unit was placed on lockdown.

Tracking dogs followed his trail across Free Line Road into nearby woods before losing the scent near Luka Road. For the next 12 days, the prison remained on lockdown as searches continued.

On June 6, U.S. Border Patrol officers found Hardin about 1.5 miles from the unit in a densely wooded area. He was returned to custody, medically cleared and transferred to Varner Supermax.

Classification errors and policy failures

The investigation found Hardin’s escape was facilitated by a misclassification that placed him at NCU when his violent history should have disqualified him.

Hardin was serving life for first-degree murder (2017) and 25 additional years for two rapes (2019) yet had not undergone a custody score review since October 2019.

That review contained scoring errors:

• Offense severity points were understated.
• Prior violent offense points were not applied.
• Sex offender points were miscalculated due to ambiguity in the policy.

If scored correctly, Hardin’s classification would have been too high for NCU unless granted an override.

The committee also noted unclear policies on how often custody scores should be recomputed and inconsistent interpretations of scoring rules.

Security oversight and staff conduct

The report documented repeated breaches of security instructions. Between May 13 and May 25, the day of the escape, supervisors had been told no inmates were to be allowed on the back dock unsupervised.

Yet, video reviews revealed every kitchen supervisor — including the food production manager — ignored this directive multiple times.

Disciplinary actions included suspensions for all involved food service supervisors, demotion of Lt. Hayden Grady for repeated violations and conflicting statements and termination of the officer who directly allowed Hardin onto the dock, according to the report.

Grady admitted to talking on the phone with a female officer, identified as his girlfriend, “almost every hour” and to using the phrase “business as usual” regarding dock access.

Command center confusion

The initial incident commander was Captain Tommy Hurst, the duty warden at the time. He was replaced by ORCU Superintendent Jared Byers the following night.

The committee found confusion in the early stages about who was overseeing the Command Center and gaps in notifying external law enforcement agencies.

The report outlined instances where conflicts between the NCU Emergency Escape Plan and updated policy for assigning calls to the Pine Bluff Radio room caused communication breakdowns during the search for Hardin. Those policy conflicts have since been corrected.

Planning and survival

In interviews, Hardin claimed he had been preparing his escape for six months, altering clothes with black markers, assembling disguises and hiding supplies in a trash can no one searched.

On the day of the escape, he carried food, CPAP water from the infirmary and the makeshift ladder.

While on the run, Hardin said he survived on berries, bird eggs, ants and creek water. He avoided houses and cars, planning to hide for months if necessary. Committee members noted inconsistencies in his statements and doubted parts of his account.

Corrective actions

The committee recommended and documented several changes, including:

• Removing black aprons from all facilities and replacing them with white.
• Eliminating electric locks on walk-through gates at sally ports, requiring a key-holding officer’s presence to open them.
• Locking or covering drive-through gate switches.
• Mandatory shakedowns of all side and mechanical rooms during searches.
• Additional cameras to eliminate blind spots on the back dock.
• Reinforced doors to secure mechanical rooms.
• Expanded Incident Command System (ICS) training for potential Command Center staff.

The report concluded that while many corrective measures are already in place, the incident demonstrated “a lot of confusion during the beginning stages” and a failure to follow established security directives.

Hardin remains housed at Varner Supermax.

This is part of KNWA/FOX24’s continuing coverage. Click here for a collection of our “Hunt for Hardin” articles.