Accused rapist awaits DNA test
BENTONVILLE — Prosecutors told a judge Monday they are awaiting confirmation of the DNA test that linked the former Gateway police chief to the 1997 rape of a Rogers teacher.
Grant Hardin was arrested Feb. 12 in connection with kidnapping and rape. He appeared in court Monday for his arraignment, but the hearing was rescheduled since formal charges have not been filed against him.
Benton County Prosecutor Nathan Smith said he was waiting on the DNA confirmation. The second DNA test is processed by the Arkansas Crime Laboratory and he may have the results by Wednesday, Smith said.
Circuit Judge Robin Green rescheduled Hardin’s arraignment for April 2.
Hardin’s arrest came after DNA linked him to the more than two decades old case. The state obtained the DNA from Hardin, 49, after he pleaded guilty to firstdegree murder in October.
The sample matched DNA from the rape case, according to
Rogers Police Chief Hayes Minor.
Hardin is serving a 30year prison sentence for killing James Appleton, a Gateway city employee.
The teacher was at the school on a Sunday, Nov. 9, 1997, preparing for the week’s classes while a church service was being held in the cafeteria.
About 11:30 a.m., the teacher decided to use the restroom. A man wearing a knit stocking cap and sunglasses brandished a pistol, raped her and fled, according to a news release.
The woman described her rapist as between 20 and 30 years old, with reddish-blond facial hair, between 5 feet, 6 inches and 5 feet, 9 inches tall with a flat, wide nose, according to police.
Rogers police obtained a warrant in 2003 for a “John Doe” suspect in the case. A John Doe warrant is an arrest warrant for an individual whose name is not known. The statute of limitations for rape in Arkansas is six years, and the warrant was filed before time expired.
Minor said it was Arkansas’ first ever John Doe warrant based on a DNA profile.
Hardin pleaded guilty in October to shooting Appleton, 59, of Gateway in the head on Feb. 23, 2017. Hardin will not be eligible for parole in the murder case until Feb. 21, 2038.
County records show Hardin served two terms, from 2009-10 and 2013-14, as Benton County District 1 constable. He also has worked at the Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center in Fayetteville, according to court documents.
Hardin was the police chief of Gateway from January 2016 to May 2016.