Authorities issue warrant for Alabama corrections officer who disappeared with inmate: What we know

Authorities on Monday issued an arrest warrant for a missing corrections officer who disappeared with an inmate from a northern Alabama jail last week.

Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said Vicky White, who disappeared with inmate Casey Cole White Friday morning from the Lauderdale County Detention Center in Florence, Alabama, "participated" in the escape.

In an appearance Monday on CNN, Singleton said authorities have not seen evidence that Vicky White was kidnapped or forced into helping Casey White escape but they are still keeping an open mind as to what happened.

"She’s certainly an accomplice," the sheriff said. "It’s obvious from the evidence we have gathered that this was not – that he didn’t kidnap her or force her or anything as far as in the car once they left the facility," Singleton said.

Singleton said Tuesday that while authorities have not yet confirmed a relationship between the two, they are investigating the possibility after receiving information from other inmates at the detention center.

"Inmates are coming forward with all kinds of information and obviously some of that is that there was a relationship," Singleton said in an interview with NBC News.

The charges against the officer include permitting or facilitating escape of the inmate, Singleton said.

The U.S. Marshals Service was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the inmate and the location of the "missing and endangered" corrections officer. Police say the two are not related.

Casey White, 38, was serving a 75-year prison sentence for kidnapping and attempted murder charges when he vanished. While in custody, he also confessed to the 2015 killing of a woman who was stabbed to death in her home.

“Casey White, as you’ve heard me say over and over and over is an extremely dangerous person and we need to get him located and get him off the street,” Singleton said. "Don't take any chances with him. He's extremely dangerous."

Here's what we know.

What are police saying?

Vicky White was armed when she left the jail with Casey White for a mental health evaluation for Casey at a courthouse Friday morning, Sheriff Rick Singleton said at a news conference Friday.

But no mental health evaluation was scheduled at the courthouse for Casey White that day, Singleton said.

He said the inmate was handcuffed and shackled when he and the officer left the jail Friday. Singleton said the officer was transporting the inmate alone – a violation of department policy. The policy was instituted when White was jailed two years ago and authorities believed he was planning to escape.

The pair wasn't discovered missing until 3:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, six hours after they left the jail. The police vehicle they left in was found in the parking lot of a nearby shopping center.

Deputies had attempted to contact the officer once they realized she and the inmate were missing, but her phone repeatedly went to voicemail.

Singleton said video showed the pair left the jail and went straight to the parking lot where the officer's vehicle was found.

Singleton said investigators are trying determine whether there were any previous significant interactions between the pair.

Who is Casey Cole White?

Casey Cole White
Casey Cole White

Casey White was sentenced in 2019 to 75 years in prison after being convicted of two counts of first-degree kidnapping and attempted murder, according to a report from The News Courier in Athens, Alabama.

Casey White also confessed to the killing of Connie Ridgeway, 58, and was set to go to trial next month in the case. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Ridgeway was stabbed to death in her home in 2015.

Casey White stands at 6 foot, 9 inches and weighs about 260 pounds, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. He has brown hair, hazel eyes and has tattoos on his back and left shoulder blade.

At the Monday news conference, authorities said he may have attempted to change his appearance but his height and build make him easy to identify.

He is believed to be a "serious threat to the corrections officer and the public," according to Marty Keely, the U.S. marshal for northern Alabama. Authorities advised residents not to approach him if he is spotted.

He was at the local jail Friday because of his latest charge.

Who is Vicky White?

This photo, provided by Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, shows Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White. White disappeared while escorting an inmate being held on capital murder charges.
This photo, provided by Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, shows Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White. White disappeared while escorting an inmate being held on capital murder charges.

Vicky White worked as assistant director of corrections at the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office and has been with the department for 16 years. Singleton described her as an "exemplary employee" who was "admired and respected by her co-workers and subordinates."

Vicky White was working her last day at the sheriff's office Friday, having turned in paperwork to retire, Singleton said Monday. He also said she had sold her home around a month ago and “talked about going to the beach.”

The sheriff said they were shocked by the events, describing the day she disappeared as being "like a wake at a funeral" at the detention center.

“This is not the Vicky White we know, by any stretch of the imagination,” the sheriff said.

Singleton said fellow jail employees were “just devastated.”

He told CNN that while it appeared she helped in the escape, investigators were keeping an open mind: "She absolutely assisted him. We still don't know 100% for sure that it was willful, but it's certainly looking that way."

As an assistant director for corrections, Vicky White moved throughout the county detention facility several times a day and had multiple opportunities every day to be in contact with any given inmate, the sheriff said. Her job duties also included coordinating the transport of inmates.

Vicky White’s mother, Pat Davis, told WAAY that she is in shock and scared for her daughter.

“As a mother, I didn’t know how to act because I thought at first it was a mistake. And then when I found out for sure it was, it was just disbelief,” says Pat Davis. She told the station that “we just want her back” and found it difficult to believe her daughter would help an inmate escape.

“She’s never done anything, I bet she’s never even had a speeding ticket,” Pat Davis said.

The Marshals Service said people with information about Casey White’s location or Vicky White’s disappearance can call 800-336-0102. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the U.S. Marshals Tip App.

Contributing: Christine Fernando, USA TODAY; The Associated Press; Miranda Prescott, The Gadsden Times

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alabama inmate search: Warrant issued for officer in inmate's escape