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(NewsNation) — Residents of a rural Arkansas town are being told to stay on high alert and lock their doors after the escape of a man dubbed the “Devil in the Ozarks” escaped prison.
Grant Hardin, a former police chief in Arkansas, was serving time at the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Arkansas, for a 2017 murder and a 1997 rape. Hardin escaped from the prison Sunday after he impersonated a guard.
Officials told residents of Calico Rock to stay vigilant and indoors as they ramped up search efforts Wednesday. A resident told NewsNation they captured an image of Hardin on their hunting camera.
Joe McDole, another resident, said he was asked by law enforcement to check his cabin in case Hardin was hiding there.
“Most people think he’s already gone,” McDole said. Some residents say they are staying armed in the aftermath of his escape, while others are following law enforcement’s advice and staying indoors.