• Grant Hardin, a former police chief, escaped prison on May 25 and was recaptured on June 9.
• He has been transferred to Varner SuperMax prison following his capture.
• Hardin was serving longstanding sentences for murder and rape, including the killing of James Appleton.
• Authorities are investigating how he managed to escape by impersonating a corrections officer.
• The manhunt involved helicopters, drones, and K9 teams but was hindered by heavy rains.

Grant Hardin, a former police chief and convicted murderer known as the “Devil in the Ozarks,” was recaptured on June 9 after a nearly two-week-long escape from an Arkansas prison, where he was serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder and additional sentences for rape. His capture occurred approximately 1.5 miles from the Calico Rock prison he fled on May 25, according to the Izard County Sheriff's Office and reports from various news outlets abcnews, cbsnews, latimes.

Captured while trying to flee, Hardin’s identity was confirmed through fingerprint analysis following his arrest. The intense search had involved search dogs, drones, helicopters, and specialized units from the U.S. Border Patrol. Heavy rains complicated the search efforts by raising water levels in the area, limiting movement through the rugged terrain huffpost, indiatimes, npr.

Hardin had escaped by donning a makeshift corrections officer uniform, using deception to gain access to a secure exit at the prison. Following his capture, Hardin was immediately transferred to Varner SuperMax prison, which is known for housing the most dangerous offenders sfgate, nytimes, huffpost.

Previously serving as the police chief of Gateway, Arkansas, Hardin was convicted in the murder of James Appleton, a city employee, shot in 2017, and had received a total of 80 years in sentences for other crimes, including an infamous rape case linked to his DNA. His escape and subsequent manhunt had affected the local community deeply, prompting concerns among residents and victims latimes, indiatimes, cbsnews.