Ex-police chief who escaped Arkansas prison is re-captured

A former Arkansas police chief convicted of rape and murder has been caught by authorities nearly two weeks after he escaped from prison.

Grant Hardin was captured only 1.5 miles (2.5km) from the prison. He tried to run from officers, but was quickly tackled to the ground, a spokesperson for the Arkansas prison system said.

His identity was confirmed by fingerprint analysis after he was apprehended, according to the Izard County Sheriff's Office in northern Arkansas.

Hardin escaped from prison on 25 May by "wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement", according to officials. He is serving a 30-year prison term for murder and 50-year term for rape.

Officials say he was taken into custody at around 15:45 local time on Friday.

"We sincerely appreciate the continued of the community for all law enforcement and Department of Corrections personnel involved in this operation," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

Officers encountered Hardin after tracking dogs picked up his scent near Moccasin Creek in Izard County, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

"He'd been on the run for a week and a half and probably didn't have any energy left in him," Rand Champion said.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that residents "can breathe a sigh of relief" now that he's been caught.

She went on to thank federal law enforcement officials that aided in the search, and thanked the Department of Homeland Security for sending Border Patrol agents.

The former police chief of Gateway, Arkansas, had been nicknamed the "Devil in the Ozarks" following his convictions.

Hardin pleaded guilty to first-degree murder after fatally shooting 59-year-old James Appleton in 2017. He was given a 30-year prison sentence.

Mr Appleton worked in the city's water department. He was shot and killed while speaking to his brother-in-law, then-Gateway Mayor Andrew Tillman, on 23 February 2017.

While serving time for Mr Appleton's murder, DNA evidence emerged linking Hardin to the long unsolved rape of a 27-year-old teacher at Frank Tillery Elementary School in Rogers, Arkansas, in November 1997.

Hardin pleaded guilty, and received a sentence of 50 years.

Before becoming Gateway's police chief, Hardin served as an officer at the Eureka Springs Police Department.

His arrest comes one day after an elite Border Patrol unit was sent in to search the mountainous terrain known for its extensive cave system.

The Border Patrol Tactical Team was deployed from the Texas border, the agency said.

In a statement, Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez said the team's "unique capabilities and training are well-suited for the demands of this critical mission".