Kim Chandler, Associated Press Published Monday, May 9, 2022, 7:10 PM EDT Last Updated on Monday, May 9, 2022, 7:10 PM EDT
A former Alabama prison official and a murder suspect accused of helping to escape arrest have been arrested in Indiana on Monday after more than a week on the run, law enforcement officials said.
Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton of Alabama said the two fugitives were captured near Evansville, Indiana, after U.S. marshals chased their pickup truck. Casey White, 38, surrendered and Vicki White, 56, was taken to hospital, the sheriff said.
“It ended a very long, stressful and challenging week and a half. It ended the way we knew it would. They are in custody, “Singleton said.
In Indiana, Vanderburg County Sheriff Dave Widing said officers learned their car was near the sheriff’s office. When police arrived, Casey and Vicki White fled the vehicle and led police in pursuit, he said. U.S. marshals clashed with them “to try to end the persecution,” he said. Casey White was injured, not too seriously, in the crash, and Vicki White then shot herself, causing “very serious” injuries, he said.
“We are lucky that no law enforcement officers were injured, no innocent civilians were injured. The persecution was short-lived and we have both detained, “Weding said
The two have been on a nationwide search since April 29, when Vicki White, assistant director of the Lauderdale County Jail’s correctional facilities, said she helped plan the escape of Casey White, who was awaiting trial for murder. Vicki White told colleagues she was taking the inmate from the mental health prison to the courthouse, but instead they fled the area.
Casey White was serving a 75-year sentence for attempted murder and other charges during her escape.
“Today we removed a dangerous man from the street. He will never see the light of day again. This is a good thing, not just for our community. That’s a good thing for our country, “Singleton said.
An order was issued for Vicki Sue White on May 2, accusing her of allowing or facilitating a first-degree escape.
Vicky White’s family members and colleagues said they were amazed at her involvement. Singleton had said that in retrospect, the plan seemed to work for some time. The inmates said the two had a special relationship and she treated Casey White better than the other inmates. She recently sold her home and bought what would become an escape car, which authorities later found abandoned in Tennessee.
“This escape was obviously well planned and calculated. A lot of preparation was put into this. “They had a lot of resources, they had money, they had vehicles,” the sheriff said.
Their pickup was found Monday in Evansville, Indiana, after U.S. marshals received information Sunday that a 2006 Ford F-150 pickup truck was seen at a car wash in the city, the marshals’ office said. Surveillance photos show a man who looks very much like Casey White getting out of the car in the car wash, officials said.
Investigators believe the pickup was stolen in Tennessee and then taken about 275 miles to Evansville, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press. The officer could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Federal and local law enforcement officials also learned that Casey White threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and sister in 2015 and said “he wanted the police to kill him,” the marshals’ office said. Investigators said they have been in contact with them about the threats and are taking steps to ensure their safety.
Associated Press author Mike Balsamo contributed from Washington.
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