A former Arkasnas police chief was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Monday.
Grant Hardin, 48, was initially charged with capital murder in the shooting death of 59-year-old James Appleton, the newspaper reported. The charge was reportedly reduced to first-degree murder as part of a plea agreement under which Hardin will be unable to seek parole for 21 years.
The man's guilty plea came after a witness told deputies he saw the former Gateway police chief driving by the victim’s pickup moments before hearing a bang and seeing the victim's body, according to a probable cause affidavit cited by the newspaper.
In court, Hardin was reportedly given multiple opportunities to address the victim’s family.
“I don’t know how to say it, but I do want to say I’m sorry,” he said, the newspaper reported.
