Numerous law enforcement agencies are still searching for a murder suspect who escaped from the Alabama prison, apparently simulating a trip to the courthouse with a correctional officer, authorities said.
Vicki White, assistant director of the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, was last seen escorting inmate Casey White to a local court on Friday morning for an “alleged mental health assessment,” Sheriff Rick Singleton told reporters Saturday. The two are not connected, the sheriff said.
Casey White, 38, was arrested in 2020 and charged with two counts of deadly murder, which authorities said was a rental murder in a case that cooled down for nearly five years, AL.com reported at the time.
“There are indications that Vicki White, who has worked for the sheriff’s office for 25 years, helped escape, but it is unclear whether she did so voluntarily or Casey White forced her to do so,” threatening. her and / or her family or other means, “a statement from the sheriff’s office said.
Casey White is seen in an undated image published by the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office on May 1, 2022.
Investigators are looking for all sorts of footage that could shed light on what happened, as well as reviewing Casey White’s phone calls and reviewing previous interactions between him and Vicki White to determine if the escape was premeditated, Singleton said.
Here is a chronology of events, according to the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office.
Friday, April 29
8:47 a.m .: Van № 5 leaves the detention center with seven prisoners, accompanied by two deputies.
8:56 a.m .: Bus 2 leaves the detention center with five prisoners, accompanied by two deputies.
9:20 a.m. Vicki White instructs the Deputy Correctional Assistant to prepare Casey White for transportation to the courthouse. The deputy then takes Casey White out of his prison cell and takes him to a reservation, where the deputy handcuffs him and shackles his legs.
9:41 a.m.: Vicki White leaves the detention center with Casey White in a patrol car to “assess the prisoner’s mental health.” Before leaving, Vicki White tells the reservation clerk that she is the only available deputy who is certified for a firearm and that she leaves it to other deputies in court and will then go to Med Plus, an emergency care center, because she is not feeling well.
11:34 a.m.: A police officer from the Florence Police Department, unaware of the current situation, notices a patrol vehicle in a parking lot near the cars for sale.
15:30: A reservation officer reports to the detention center administration that they tried to contact Vicki White to check on her, but her phone went directly to voicemail. The reservation officer also reported that inmate Casey White had not returned to the detention center with the other inmates.
The administrator contacts the sheriff’s office, and officers begin a search of the courthouse to determine if Casey White is still in the building. Over the next few minutes, they found that Casey White had not been to the courtroom and that no appearance or assessment had been scheduled. Security officials say Vicki White never arrived at the courthouse.
Following the release of a national newsletter detailing Casey White and Vicki White, a witness said she saw the patrol car on her lunch break at a mall. Deputies seized the patrol car, but could not find information about their whereabouts.
5:30 p.m .: About 20 agents from the US Marshals, FBI, ATF, Secret Service and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency join the investigation.
Lauderdale County Detention Center in Florence, Alabama.
Saturday, April 30
Morning: The son of Connie Ridgeway, the woman Casey White is accused of murder, told ABC Huntsville, Alabama, a branch of WAAY Station, that he does not believe his mother’s accused killer is at large.
“I’m shocked,” Austin Williams told the station after Casey White had been on the run for at least 24 hours. I mean, how is it possible for someone with this rap sheet to get away so easily?
Singleton said at a news conference that it was a “serious policy violation” for Vicky White to be left alone with a prisoner, adding that Casey White had to be escorted by two deputies, given his allegations.
In her role as assistant director of correctional facilities, Vicki White is responsible for coordinating transportation between the detention center and the court, Singleton said. The violation of the protocol was not noted by its employees.
Evening: Singleton told ABC News that the escape appeared to have been “organized”.
Casey White had previously planned to escape from the Lauderdale County Detention Center in the fall of 2020, but officials thwarted the plot before he could try it, Singleton said. When prison officials learn of the plot, they find a household knife at White’s and learn that he is planning to take a hostage.
Casey White was later transferred to a state prison, where he remained until earlier this year and will return to Lauderdale County’s facility for court appearances related to the murder, Singleton said.
Vicki White is an “exemplary employee” who is liked by all her colleagues, Singleton said. She communicates with inmates several times a day as part of her job, Singleton said, adding that she did not know of any connection between Vicki White and Casey White.
“We are very concerned about her safety,” he said.
Sunday, May 1
Morning: The U.S. Marshal’s Office announces a $ 10,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Casey White.
“Casey White is considered a serious threat to the correctional officer and the public,” US Marshal Marty Keeley said in a statement.
Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office Vicki White and Prisoner Casey Cole White.
Afternoon: Singleton told ABC News that Vicki White had talked about retiring three or four months before the escape. She submitted her documents on Thursday, and Friday, when the escape took place, was supposed to be her last working day.
ABC News’s Jack Data, Meredith Delisso, Alwin Lopez, Will McDuffie and Ben Stein contributed to this report.
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