Hunt for Alabama inmate Casey White: Officer Vicky White charged with assisting escape

A felony arrest warrant has been issued for the Lauderdale County assistant director of corrections who has been lacking with an inmate billed with money murder.

The warrant accuses Vicky White of aiding the inmate, Casey Cole White, in escaping from the jail.

The charge is permitting or facilitating an escape in the first diploma, a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 a long time in prison.

Speaking at a press meeting on Monday, Sheriff Rick Singleton explained he believed Casey Cole White’s escape was “orchestrated” and that Vicky White played a job.

“Nobody noticed this coming,” Singleton mentioned.

Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly instructed The Associated Press he was also shocked.

He very last spoke to Vicky White on Thursday about transporting an inmate with a damaged ankle to get professional medical treatment, and practically nothing seemed unconventional.

“She is any individual I would have dependable with most everything. She was one particular of all those persons you could connect with if you needed a little something to take place at that jail. She was the go-to individual,” Connolly explained.

Casey White is wanted on a warrant charging him with second-diploma escape.

[View the warrants here]

Singleton once more warned that Casey Cole White, who is 6-ft-9-inches tall, is “an very unsafe person” and even urged legislation enforcement officers who might experience him to use caution.

The sheriff reported Vicky White claimed she was driving Casey Cole White to the nearby courthouse for a mental health analysis. But there was no this kind of courtroom look, in accordance to the sheriff. Even though transporting an incarcerated individual by itself is a plan violation, Singleton reported other corrections officers did not question her due to the fact of her place of authority.

“Protocols ended up in position,” Singleton claimed.

“We have a coverage. It involves two deputies to transportation,” he claimed. “This leads us, all over again, to imagine it was orchestrated for the reason that we experienced two vans of inmates leave just minutes ahead of Director White had Casey White brought up front. Each of individuals vans experienced two deputies on them. A person have five inmates, the other had seven inmates.”

Minutes soon after people vans still left the jail, Vicky White instructed a further officer to get ready Casey White for transport. He was placed in handcuffs and leg shackles, Singleton claimed.

Singleton reported a evaluation of surveillance video clip discovered that Vicky White and Casey Cole White, who are not linked, drove right from the jail to Florence Sq. searching heart at Huntsville Road and Cox Creek Parkway. Vicky White’s patrol car or truck was noticed on movie at the shopping centre about eight minutes following leaving the jail.

Singleton mentioned it is believed Casey White was laying in the backseat of the patrol vehicle to keep away from detection right until they arrived at the shopping heart and adjusted autos.

Marty Keely of the U.S. Marshals Company explained that the escape has escalated to a “major situation,” which unlocks resources that will be used in the look for for the suspects.

A $10,000 reward has been issued for details leading to the capture of Casey White and a $5,000 reward is offered for facts primary to Vicky White.

Details must be relayed by calling 911, Keely said.

The public should really not technique both suspect, Keely claimed.

“We look at both of those of them perilous,” he said.

Information and facts can be offered at the USMS Communications Heart at 1-800-336-0102. Nameless guidelines may well also be submitted via the U.S. Marshals Tip App.

The sheriff mentioned Vicky White had turned in her retirement papers, and Friday was to be her very last working day.

“There’s no dilemma she assisted in this escape,” the sheriff reported, while it is unidentified if she did so prepared or for the reason that she was coerced.

“We will not know for absolutely sure what the predicament was until eventually we get a prospect to speak to director White.”

The U.S. Marshals Services is supplying a reward for info leading authorities to the pair.

The two have been lacking considering that they left the jail Friday morning at 9:41 a.m. The two are not similar.

Just before they remaining the jail on Friday, Vicky White instructed jail workers to prepare Casey White for transportation to the county courthouse for a psychological well being evaluation, the sheriff said, although no these courtroom overall look was scheduled.

Two vans still left to transportation inmates to the courthouse that morning, Singleton told WBRC, and minutes later Vicky White informed employees at the jail to carry Casey White to her. Considering the fact that all other deputies ended up occupied, she reported she would choose him herself.

The two under no circumstances arrived at the courthouse, which is situated in downtown Florence, about a 50 percent mile from the county jail.

At 11:34 a.m., about two hours just after the pair left the jail, a Florence police officer saw White’s patrol car. It was parked amongst vehicles that ended up listed for sale. The officer, like other law enforcement, was unaware at the time that officer White and Casey White had been lacking.

At 3:30 p.m., a jail staff claimed to the administration that she experienced been striving to call deputy White but the phone calls went right to voicemail. The employee also claimed that Casey White experienced not returned to the jail.

Right after law enforcement declared that the pair was lacking, in accordance to the sheriff’s business, a member of the community documented seeing the patrol car or truck in a shopping middle parking great deal. Deputies searched the car or truck but did not locate any evidence.

By 5:30 p.m., about 20 neighborhood investigators have been operating on the case, examining surveillance video from the courthouse, jail, shopping middle and other destinations.

Singleton mentioned the two may possibly have left in a further auto but they do not have a description of that car or truck.

Singleton has said Vicky White had been “an exemplary employee” all through her 17 years with the sheriff’s business ahead of violating plan by traveling by yourself with a prisoner. Two sworn deputies are meant to escort incarcerated individuals.

Singleton advised WBRC this was the initial time he had regarded of her violating coverage in that time.

Vicky White’s mom, Pat Davis, informed WAAY Tv set that even if her daughter assisted the inmate escape, she must change herself in just before she gets harm.

According to Davis, Vicky experienced been living with her for the earlier five weeks, ever considering that Vicky offered her home. Davis says her daughter did not communicate about operate often, in no way bringing up retirement and under no circumstances mentioning inmate White in discussion.

”You know, I under no circumstances heard of him, in no way found his image, almost nothing. I didn’t know just about anything about him,” she suggests.

“She’s by no means completed something, I guess she’s never ever even had a rushing ticket. But I suggest, she’s generally been what I say a very good particular person. And like I say, this is all a shock,” Davis told the station.

“We want her property. We’ll go choose her up if she’ll just simply call and explain to us arrive and get her. We’ll go select her up,” she suggests.

In 2020, Casey White was billed with two counts of money murder for the Oct. 23, 2015 murder-for-hire slaying of Connie Jane Ridgeway.

Rogersville law enforcement uncovered Ridgeway’s system in the dwelling room of her apartment following a neighbor asked for a welfare check out. The 59-year-aged female lived at Meadowland Flats on Prince Drive in Rogersville, across the avenue from Lauderdale County Higher School’s soccer field.

Ridgeway’s son, Austin Williams, advised WHNT he was stunned by information of the escape.

“Someone really demands to discover out how this occurred,” Williams instructed the station.

“Someone genuinely desires to glimpse into that and make certain it can’t happen all over again for the reason that we definitely would like to see him go to trial.”

Very last up-to-date at 4:39 p.m.