Warrant Issued For Alabama Corrections Officer In Escaped Inmate Case

FLORENCE, AL — An arrest warrant has been issued for a corrections officer police say helped an inmate escape from Lauderdale County Jail on Friday.

Vicky White, assistant director of corrections in Lauderdale County, is being charged with permitting or facilitating escape in connection with the escape of Casey White, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said at a news conference Monday. The two are unrelated.

Police "know she participated" in the escape but are unsure if Vicky White did so willingly or was somehow coerced or threatened, Singleton said.

Vicky White left the jail with Casey White at 9:41 a.m. Friday, telling a booking officer she was taking him to the courthouse. Lauderdale County Jail protocol dictates that at least two officers be involved in transporting inmates, according to Singleton.

Based on surveillance footage from a local business, police know White's patrol car was parked at Huntsville Road and Cox Creek Parkway, near the location the car was found deserted, at 9:49 a.m. Friday. Because of the timeline, police believe there was no attempt to drive to the courthouse.

"This is not the Vicky White we know," Singleton said. "We just hope this has a good ending."

Friday was to be Vicky White's last day with the department. She had been talking of retirement for three or four months and had even sold her house, Singleton said.

Police are still looking at surveillance from the jail to investigate any prior interactions between the two. A romantic relationship is "always a possibility" in cases such as this, Singleton said.

Casey White was brought to Lauderdale County Jail on Feb. 25 from a state facility to await court dates on capital murder charges in connection with the 2015 stabbing of Connie Ridgeway, which he confessed to in 2020.

Casey White is extremely dangerous, and neither he nor Vicky White should be approached if they are spotted, U.S. Marshal Marty Keely said. Instead, people should call 911 to report a sighting of either.

Keely also said Casey White might have changed his clothes or appearance, and emphasized his large stature at 6-foot-9.

The U.S. Marshals Service announced Sunday a $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the capture of either Casey White or Vicky White, and Keely described the investigation as a "major case" for the agency Monday.

"We will capture them," Singleton said. "They will be brought back to justice."