Midwest
Manhunt underway after disgraced former police chief convicted of murder, rape escapes Arkansas prison
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An urgent manhunt is underway in Arkansas after a disgraced former police chief, who was serving time for murder and rape, escaped from prison.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections said Grant Hardin, 56, escaped from the North Central Unit on Sunday afternoon in Calico Rock, AR.
“Anyone with information about inmate Hardin’s whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately,” authorities said in a post on X.
Officials said Hardin has been at the North Central Unit since 2017, serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder, as well as an additional sentence for rape.
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The jail added that Hardin was the former chief of police for the city of Gateway.
Hardin pleaded guilty to the 2017 murder of James Appleton, 59, a city water employee who was found shot in the face inside his work truck, KNWA reported.
While Hardin was being booked into the state prison, officials submitted his DNA sample into a database. His DNA ended up linking him to the rape cold case of a teacher in 1997, the outlet reported.
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Officials with the Arkansas Department of Corrections are searching for an inmate, who is a former police chief, that they said escaped from its North Central Unit on Sunday. (Arkansas Department of Corrections )
The victim, Amy Harrison, a teacher at Frank Tillery Elementary in Rogers, said she was raped by a man with a gun at the school.
“It was proven to be Mr. Hardin beyond all scientific certainty,” Nathan Smith, the prosecuting attorney for Benton County at the time, told the outlet.
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The Arkansas Department of Corrections is searching for an inmate who escaped from the North Central Unit on Sunday. (iStock)
Authorities confirmed Hardin’s DNA matched the DNA linked to the rape suspect. Harrison was ambushed while preparing a lesson plan for the week. The case had been cold for nearly two decades.
Hardin ended up pleading guilty to the rape in 2019.
“Grant Hardin, in my view and in my personal experience, is one of the most dangerous people that I ever seen for the reason that he does not at first appear that way,” Smith previously said. “He is a man capable of a seemingly random, horrific murder as well as a random horrific rape.”
Hardin is described as a 6′ white male, weighing approximately 259 pounds.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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Detroit, MI
Former employee accused of stealing over $215,000 from Metro Detroit moving service business
A former employee of a Metro Detroit moving service business is accused of misappropriating funds and transferring the company’s money to her personal accounts.
Deborah Beaudoin is facing a federal charge of wire fraud, according to a criminal complaint filed on Dec. 10, 2025.
Homeland Security began investigating the case on Sept. 4, 2023, when the Van Buren Township Police Department requested support for an ongoing investigation into alleged fraud at a small business called Rose Moving and Storage.
According to the criminal complaint, the business accused former financial controller, Beaudoin, of misappropriating over $215,000 from Rose Moving and Storage by ordering company debit cards, transferring business funds to the cards and then transferring the business funds to her personal accounts.
On Oct. 5, 2023, authorities interviewed the chief financial officer of the parent company of Rose Moving and Storage, and he explained that the business is a moving company that contracts with owner-operated truck drivers. He then said the drivers use their own cars and pay their moving crews to service customers at Rose Moving and Storage. However, the truck drivers typically did not have the financial capital to front their costs. So, the business would “front” the truck drivers about $4,000 to $5,000 to cover initial expenses, including gas and the payment of the moving crew.
The employees, including Beaudoin, would order the company debit cards issued in the name of the driver, load them with company funds and give them to the truck driver to pay their initial costs and complete the moving transactions. After the job is complete, the amount “fronted” by the business would be deducted from the final payment to the truck drivers.
Beaudoin is accused of devising a scheme to misappropriate funds by ordering and obtaining unauthorized company debit cards from the company’s provider, typically using names that contained different iterations of the company name, including” R. Rose Moving,” “R. Storage” and “R. Rose Moving ST,” then using company monies to fund them in amounts ranging from just over $1,000 to as much as $3,000 before withrawing the funds in cash using ATMs at different banks.
After withdrawing the funds, she allegedly deposited the cash into her personal accounts.
Beaudoin allegedly created fake entries on the company ledger for expenses such as “repairs” and would allocate the money she had appropriated from the company to these fake expenses to legitimize the costs.
Homeland Security found that Beaudoin obtained over 60 fraudulent company debit cards from 2017 to 2023.
According to federal authorities, her use of Huntington Bank’s ATM machines to withdraw funds she had allegedly misappropriated from the business “caused the transmission of wire communication in interstate commerce,” leading to her facing a federal charge.
Copyright 2025 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
Milwaukee, WI
Holiday spending climbs as Milwaukee shoppers balance costs, giving
Holiday spending climbs
Shoppers in downtown Milwaukee are feeling the squeeze — and still opening their wallets — as experts say this holiday season is shaping up to be one of the most expensive on record.
MILWAUKEE – Shoppers in downtown Milwaukee are feeling the squeeze — and still opening their wallets — as experts say this holiday season is shaping up to be one of the most expensive on record.
Local perspective:
“I started about three weeks ago. I would say it’s been on the more expensive side, especially when you have to grab gifts for more and more people every year,” said Andie, a Milwaukee shopper.
“I finished up my Christmas shopping today,” said Zack, another shopper.
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Both said they’ve become more strategic with how — and where — they spend, balancing convenience with a push to support local businesses.
“I definitely wanna support the local businesses around here so a healthy mix of online when it’s a little more convenient and local,” said Andie.
A report from Mastercard shows consumer spending rose 3.9% from Nov. 1 through Dec. 21 compared with the same period last year, reflecting stronger demand even as prices remain elevated.
“Yeah, I would say about $100 more, maybe $200,” said Zack.
What we know:
That uptick is being felt on the ground. Kerry Schannon said his downtown Milwaukee business has seen a steady flow of customers throughout the season.
“We had a very, very brisk business up until the unexpected cold blast in December, but otherwise it’ll be very good,” said Schannon, a downtown Milwaukee business owner.
Schannon said repeat customers helped anchor sales, while creative window displays and promotions brought in new shoppers despite broader economic uncertainty.
“People are not horribly happy about tariffs, but they are still coming. They’re still supporting local business and we are specifically here because we want to mark ourselves to an urban demographic, and they’re there, they’re coming in,” said Schannon.
What they’re saying:
For shoppers, many say cost isn’t the only consideration.
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“You have to your loved ones are still important no matter the price,” said Zack.
Andie said she’s found ways to manage expenses while still keeping traditions alive.
“I do you like a secret Santa situation, so we don’t end up buying another 10–15 gifts on top of that, so trying to keep costs reasonable,” said Andie.
Looking ahead, the National Retail Federation projects holiday spending will top $1 trillion for the first time, underscoring how consumers continue to spend even as budgets are stretched.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.
Minneapolis, MN
Hundreds of first responders treated to free holiday dinner from NE Minneapolis businesses
Protecting and serving Minneapolis came with a generous lunch break today, all of it thanks to volunteers and donors.
The 42nd Annual First Responders Dinner was held at the Northeast Moose Bar and Grill. Several restaurants from the neighborhood dropped off trays of food, while local bakeries made sure there was plenty of dessert.
From noon until 10 p.m., police officers, firefighters, EMTs and others serving the community stopped in for a well-deserved meal.
Sukhdeep Singh, owner of Curry Corner, was excited that his restaurant was asked to help provide food this year.
“I made sure that we are going to have more than what we need so we don’t run out,” he said. “(First responders) are the backbone of our city. Every time we get an opportunity, we want to be there to make sure that we are always giving back.”
His restaurant is one of several contributing to the annual Christmas Eve dinner at the Moose Bar and Grill.
Aileen Johnson is one of the organizers of the dinner. She said the dozens of volunteers live nearby. The restaurants and bakeries are all from the Northeast.
Johnson says it’s the neighborhood’s way of saying thank you.
“I think it really captures the spirit of the holiday to do for others and to think of others,” she said.
Watching police officers crack jokes and relax hits close to home for her.
“My late husband, Charlie Herzog, was an officer in the 5th Precinct and he worked many a Christmas Eve. And it was always a wonderful thing to know that he was getting a good hot meal, and not just a good hot meal, but a celebratory meal,” she said.
Hundreds of first responders were expected to attend.
Volunteers also delivered hundreds of meals to those who couldn’t make the trip, like 911 dispatchers, corrections officers, paramedics at nearby hospitals and Metro Transit.
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