Officials in Arkansas are searching for a former police chief convicted of murder and rape who escaped from prison Sunday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Arkansas Department of Corrections said in a release<\/u><\/a> that Grant Hardin, who previously served as the police chief for the town of Gateway in northwestern Arkansas, escaped from where he was being held at around 3:40 p.m. local time Sunday and the search for him continued into the night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hardin has been held at the prison since 2017, when he began serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder. He also was later sentenced to 50 years in prison for the rape of an elementary school teacher in 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The department said it is working with local, state and federal officials to find him, and anyone with information about his location should contact local law enforcement immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The release states the officials determined Hardin was wearing a makeshift outfit designed to look like law enforcement when he escaped, but he wasn\u2019t wearing a department uniform, and all department-issued equipment has been accounted for. It said officials are using a \u201cvariety of means\u201d to track Hardin down and are investigating what led up to his escape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Associated Press reported that Hardin pleaded guilty in 2017 to shooting and killing<\/u><\/a> 59-year-old James Appleton, who worked for Gateway\u2019s water department and was speaking to his brother-in-law, the mayor at the time, when he was shot in the head. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hardin served as police chief for a few months in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n