Authorities on Monday continued to search for an “extremely dangerous” murder suspect and issued an arrest warrant for an Alabama prison official who now believes he helped him escape.
Prisoner Casey Cole White, 38, was handcuffed and handcuffed when he and Vicki White, assistant director of correctional facilities, left the Lauderdale County Detention Center in Florence, Alabama, on Friday morning. They have not been seen since, although the patrol vehicle they used when they left the detention center was found in the parking lot of a nearby shopping center after their absence was discovered.
Authorities have no idea where they are, although the prisoner must be recognizable by his size. He is 6 feet, 9 inches (2.06 meters) tall and weighs about 260 pounds (118 kilograms). Authorities warned that anyone who saw the couple should not approach them.
“We both consider them dangerous and in all likelihood they are both armed,” US Marshal Marty Keeley told a news conference Monday. He noted that Casey White “will stand out” because of his size, even if he has changed his appearance.
Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said Monday that they had issued an arrest warrant for 56-year-old Vicki White on charges of allowing or allowing an escape. She is not related to Casey White, who was serving a 75-year sentence and awaiting trial for murder.
Vicki White told colleagues she was taking him to court to assess his mental health. But Singleton later said such an assessment was not planned. It has also violated a policy that requires more than one employee to be involved in transporting prisoners, a rule authorities have emphasized for White because he had previously tried to escape, Singleton said. The sheriff said the video showed the two leaving prison and going straight to that parking lot.
“We know that she participated, whether she did it voluntarily or if she was forced, threatened in some way to participate, I’m not really sure. We know for sure that she was involved, “Singleton said.
“Casey White, as you’ve heard me say over and over, is an extremely dangerous man, and we need to find him and get him off the streets,” Singleton said.
Casey White was serving a sentence for a series of crimes, including attempted murder, robbery and burglary. While in jail, he confessed to the death of a 58-year-old woman in 2015 with a knife, prompting him to be taken to Lauderdale County Jail for trial. The sheriff said they believe White had planned an earlier escape from prison in 2020 when they found a makeshift knife.
He could be sentenced to death if convicted of murder. The U.S. Marshall Service is offering up to $ 10,000 for information.
Singleton said Vicki White was an exemplary officer and the prison staff were “just devastated.” “This is not Vicki White, who we know, with any degree of imagination,” the sheriff said.
Vicky White was planning to retire, and Friday was supposed to be her last day. He said she sold her apartment about a month ago and “talked about going to the beach”.
The sheriff said they did not know where the two were at the moment.
“If we knew where they were, we would be there, not here,” Singleton said.
As assistant director of correction, Vicki White traveled throughout the county jail and had many opportunities to contact each inmate every day, the sheriff said. Her official duties also include coordinating the transport of prisoners.
Vicki White’s mother, Pat Davis, told WAAY she was shocked and afraid for her daughter.
“As a mother, I didn’t know what to do because at first I thought it was a mistake. And then when I knew for sure it was, it was just mistrust, “said Pat Davis. She told the station that “we just want her back” and found it hard to believe that her daughter would help a prisoner escape.
“She’s never done anything, I bet she’s never been fined for speeding,” Pat Davis said.
Lauderdale County Attorney Chris Connelly said he was also shocked. He last spoke to Vicki White on Thursday about transporting a prisoner with a broken ankle for medical attention, and nothing seemed unusual.
“She is a person I would trust with almost anything. She was one of the people you could call if you needed anything to happen in this prison. She was the person she loved, “Connelly said.
The U.S. Marshall Service said anyone with information on Casey White’s whereabouts or the disappearance of Vicki White could call the office at 1-800-336-0102. Anonymous tips can also be sent through the US Marshals Tip app.
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