Arkansas
Arkansas officials blame prison employees for ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ escape

Officials said a kitchen supervisor left Grant Hardin alone on a loading dock and a tower guard let him out the gates.
Ex-Arkansas police chief imprisoned for murder escapes prison
Grant Hardin, a former Gateway, Arkansas, police chief serving time for murder and rape, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock on May 25.
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Corrections officials say two Arkansas prison employees errantly helped Grant Hardin, the former police chief convicted of murder and rape, escape from a prison in May.
A kitchen supervisor, who left Hardin unchecked on a loading dock, and a tower guard, who let him out of the gates, have been fired, according to Benny Magness, chairman of the state Board of Corrections. Magness attributed Hardin’s escape at the North Central Unit, in Calico Rock, to “human error.”
Hardin evaded capture for 12 days in nearby woods.
“All the stars somewhat had to line up for Hardin, and two employees violated policy that allowed this to happen,” Magness told state lawmakers in a July 10 hearing. “The policies were in place. This should not have happened.”
On May 25, a kitchen supervisor allegedly left Hardin, 56, alone on a loading dock. Hardin is accused of changing into a fake law enforcement uniform, which was colored with Sharpie markers and included an old kitchen apron to mimic a vest. Authorities say he made a homemade badge from a can lid, button and Bible cover. He had stashed away his fake uniform in the kitchen’s chemical storage area, where he had supervised access as part of his kitchen job, Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, said in an email.
Then, the guard atop the tower opened two back gates letting Hardin out, without checking if he was actually an officer, Magness said. Hardin also brought wooden pallets he fashioned into a ladder and a box with food, Champion said. Hardin was captured in a sweeping manhunt on June 6 about a mile-and-a-half from the facility.
The fired officers’ names weren’t released.
Hardin was serving an 80-year combined prison sentence. He first pleaded guilty to the 2017 murder of James Appleton, a water department employee. Following his conviction, DNA evidence connected him to raping a teacher at gunpoint at school in 1997. He pleaded guilty to the rape charges.
Hardin faces a felony charge related to his escape, court records show. He has pleaded not guilty. A jury trial has been scheduled for the fall.
Jeanine Santucci of USA TODAY contributed to this report.

Arkansas
Can Iowa State Cyclones Handle Forecasted Extreme Weather Against Arkansas State?

The Iowa State Cyclones are going to be making history this weekend when they travel to take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves of the Sun Belt Conference.
This will be the first time that a Big 12 school pays a visit to Centennial Stadium in Jonesboro, Arkansas. It is also the first time since 2022 that a ranked opponent will be visiting the Red Wolves. That year, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers played a conference game. The No. 14-ranked Iowa State team is the highest-ranked team to ever play at Centennial Stadium.
That alone will create a difficult environment to play in. Arkansas State fans will be rearing to go, cheering on their team against a premier opponent. Upsets of this magnitude are what Group of Five schools can use to catapult a program to the next level, especially when led by a player as talented as their starting quarterback, Jaylen Raynor.
There have been plenty of instances of that occurring, and the Cyclones do not want to be the next program to suffer such a defeat. However, the atmosphere in Centennial Stadium won’t be the only thing Iowa State is fighting against. Along with the roaring fans, they have some extreme weather to combat.
Temperatures for Saturday afternoon, when the teams kick off at 4 pm ET, are expected to be in the low 90s. Those conditions are incredibly strenuous for a team to prepare for. There is only so much that can be done in the days leading up to the game to have the players ready to go. Hydration before and during the game will be key to fighting off fatigue.
90+ degree days aren’t something the Cyclones are used to playing in, but head coach Matt Campbell doesn’t sound too worried. He knows the challenges his players will face, but believes his squad is prepared and ready to handle the elements.
“I think that all those things are real, and all those things obviously would be an excuse if we didn’t get better this week,” he said, via Field Level Media on CBS Sports. “It’s going to be hot everywhere, not just in Jonesboro, right? The reality of it is, the last scrimmage we had was at four o’clock and 107 degrees real-feel temperature.”
While uncommon, having to play in extreme heat isn’t totally foreign to Iowa State football. They would almost certainly prefer the kind of weather normally existing with the calendar moving toward mid-September, but they will make do. One of the advantages they should have is the sheer depth of their roster.
Campbell is not afraid to dip into his depth chart when need be. Against the South Dakota Coyotes, 80 players registered a snap. It wasn’t just because of a blowout, either. Last week against the Iowa Hawkeyes, 62 players took the field. That number of players taking the field could certainly occur again against the Red Wolves, and they will all be ready to perform.
“So, we’ve been there. We prepared for this, and you know what it takes, physically, to prepare yourself to do that,” Campbell added.
Arkansas
Ole Miss football injury report vs. Arkansas: QB Austin Simmons probable for Week 3 game

OXFORD — The first pregame injury report for Ole Miss football’s Sept. 13 game against Arkansas was released Sept. 10.
Ole Miss (2-0, 1-0 SEC) has one player out. Quarterback Austin Simmons is probable. He was injured toward the end of the Week 2 game at Kentucky but said he could have returned.
The Razorbacks (2-0) have 12 players on the list, five whom are out.
Coach Lane Kiffin and the No. 13 Rebels must release an injury report before each game involving another SEC team, per conference rules. The Rebels released their first injury report in Week 2 before their Sept. 6 game at Kentucky. It is Arkansas’ first injury report of the season, after playing the first two games against nonconference teams.
Here’s a look at the full list:
Ole Miss football injury report vs Arkansas
This story will be updated in accordance with nightly reports.
Ole Miss
- WR Traylon Ray (Out)
- CB Jaylon Braxton (Questionable)
- WR Harrison Wallace III (Probable)
- RB Kewan Lacy (Probable)
- TE Dae’Quan Wright (Probable)
- WR Deuce Alexander (Probable)
- QB Austin Simmons (Probable)
Arkansas
- WR Monte Harrison (Out)
- WR Ismael Cisse (Out)
- WR Antonio Jordan (Out)
- LB Mason Schueck (Out)
- RB Cam Settles (Out)
- DL Kavion Henderson (Questionable)
- RB Markeylin Batton (Questionable)
- P Devin Bale (Questionable)
- DL David Oke (Questionable)
- DL Quincy Rhodes Jr. (Questionable)
- DB Selman Bridges (Probable)
- LB Trent Whalen (Probable)
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
Arkansas
Arkansas Drops Tuesday Match Against Boston College in Five
While the Hogs took control in the second and third frames, a late surge by the Boston College Eagles forced a fifth set on Tuesday and Arkansas ultimately fell 3-2 (23-25, 25-15, 25-23, 15-25, 12-15).
Outside hitters Lolo Lambert and Parker Duncan led the offensive effort for the Hogs with 19 kills and 12 digs apiece, the former being a career high for both. Sophomore setter Kiki Remensperger paced Arkansas with 45 assists and 11 digs, her third double-double of the season.
In her second outing as Arkansas’ primary libero, redshirt junior Kylie Weeks chipped in a team-high 18 digs, her new personal best. The Hogs tallied 12 team blocks on the night defensively, with five from both Duncan and fellow freshman Journey Peppers.
Set 1
Arkansas slipped to a 3-1 deficit early in the opening set, but the Hogs didn’t need much time to adjust and quickly took a 6-5 lead off a kill from Romani Thurman. BC was never far behind, but Arkansas limited its opportunities and held on to a 15-12 advantage at the media break. The Razorbacks grew their lead to 18-13 shortly after, which prompted an Eagles timeout. From there, Boston College dug deep and went on a 7-2 run to tie it at 20-all. They traded blows from there, but three straight points from the Eagles down the stretch secured the 25-23 set victory for BC.
Set 2
The Hogs quickly shook off the first set and a three-point run that kicked off with a kill from Duncan put them up 9-6. The Eagles couldn’t manage more than one point at a time and Arkansas kept its foot on the gas. A five-point streak with two kills from Thurman and one from Lambert pushed the Razorback advantage to 18-10, and Boston College called for time. It didn’t make much difference and Arkansas kept on going, coming within two of the set victory at 23-12. The Eagles made a bit of a push from there, but one more Hog block made it 25-15 for Arkansas, knotting the match at 1-1.
Set 3
The early part of set three was tight again, but a 5-1 spurt by the Razorbacks helped shift the momentum their way and made the score 12-8. Any chance the Eagles had to catch up didn’t last long until two Arkansas errors and a BC kill made it 17-16 in favor of the visitors quickly. The Eagles kept punching, but the Hogs found a way to answer every time, maintaining a 23-21 lead and forcing Boston College to a huddle. The Razorbacks staved off the Eagles just long enough and a kill from Lambert shut the door on set three for Arkansas 25-23.
Set 4
The Hogs used a big 5-1 run early on, capped off by a huge solo block from Remensperger, and went up 7-3. Boston College quickly responded though and tied it at 8-8. From there, the Eagles scored six of the next eight points and switched the lead to their favor at 14-10. Arkansas had no real response as Boston College rattled off a 9-1 run, making it 24-13. The Razorbacks managed to add two more after that, but Boston College finished it out 25-15 to force a deciding fifth set.
Set 5
The Eagles jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead, but Arkansas chased closely and came within one off a kill from Lambert at 6-5. Boston College kept on going though and had an 8-5 advantage as the teams switched sides. Three straight Arkansas points, including a solo block from Duncan, cut the deficit to one, but the Eagles didn’t let the lead get away. Following a timeout, Arkansas made it 13-12, which had BC huddle. After that though, the Hogs ran out of time as the Eagles finished it 15-12 for the 3-2 match victory.
Up Next
Arkansas heads to the Centennial State for the Buffs Invitational Sept. 12-14 for matches against host Colorado, Denver and Toledo. Friday’s match against the Buffaloes is set for 7 p.m., Saturday’s against Denver is at 4 p.m. and Sunday’s finale with Toledo is at noon. All matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
More Information
Visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information on all things Arkansas Volleyball. You can also find the Hogs on social media by liking us on Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Volleyball) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@RazorbackVB).
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