An inmate at the Arkansas Department of Corrections’ North Central Unit in Calico Rock walked out of the facility on May 25 after changing into a homemade uniform while unsupervised on a kitchen back dock, state corrections officials told a legislative committee.

The inmate, identified in committee testimony as Grant Harden (01/8541), left the unit about 2:53 p.m. pushing a flat cart and carrying a box and a makeshift ladder. He was last seen on surveillance footage walking near the ICC garage and disappeared from camera view. A roster count at 3:47 p.m. confirmed Harden was missing; the unit was placed on lockdown and emergency escape procedures were activated. U.S. Border Patrol located and identified Harden with a portable fingerprint scanner on June 6; he was transferred to Varner Supermax for high‑security confinement, officials said.

Why it matters: committee members said the escape exposed potential failures across classification, staffing and perimeter procedures and pressed corrections leaders to explain notification timing, whether the breach was a narrow personnel failure or evidence of broader weaknesses, and what changes the department will make to prevent recurrence.

At a May 25 hearing, Arkansas Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magnus said two employees had violated policy by allowing the inmate on the back dock unsupervised and by the tower officer allowing the person to pass through the sally‑port gates without verifying identity. “Two policies were violated there, and those two employees have been terminated,” Magnus told legislators. Thomas William Hurst, who introduced himself as the North Central correctional coordinator, read a prepared summary saying the inmate had been granted unsupervised access “under the pretense of cleaning the chemical cage,” adding that the access violated standing security directives.

Director Dexter Payne, who runs the Division of Correction, told the committee the department opened a command post, coordinated ground and aerial searches, and requested assistance from local, state and federal partners. “We just start getting our process in place for, to recapture inmate Harden,” Payne said. He said internal affairs and a critical incident review are under way and that the Arkansas State Police also is investigating.

Committee members pressed officials about the timeline for notifications and the command structure during the manhunt. Warden Wharton Hirsch (referred to in testimony as the on‑site commander) and unit staff conducted perimeter and house‑to‑house checks around Moxican Creek and nearby roads; officials said heavy rain, rugged terrain and limited resources slowed tracking operations. Lawmakers also questioned whether the escape reflected systemic problems beyond the two terminated employees: repeated references were made to long‑standing blind spots in camera coverage, supply pallets on the back dock and whether officers on some posts had become complacent.

Officials described several near‑term steps being considered or already taken: termination of the two employees involved, an internal affairs inquiry, a scheduled critical incident review, and a review of classification policy. Magnus and others recommended either adding a second staff person at that back gate or installing an electronic notification that alerts the captain inside when the gate is opened.

Legislators asked for and officials agreed to provide committee copies of recent security audits and the unit’s vulnerability assessments. Members also pressed for follow‑up review of security footage from before the incident to determine whether other staff had allowed unsupervised access to sensitive areas on other occasions; the warden acknowledged no such systematic review had yet been completed. Director Payne said the department would examine prior surveillance and vulnerability reports as part of the incident review.

Ending: Officials said the department will deliver the critical incident review when it is finished and present recommended policy changes. Lawmakers signaled they expect follow‑up briefings and documents on camera coverage, notification timelines, the internal affairs findings and any recommended classification changes.