Jailer who vanished driving inmate to court now faces criminal charges, Alabama cops say
Update: The getaway car used by Alabama jailer Vicki White and inmate Casey Cole White has been found in central Tennessee, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office announced on May 6. The rust-colored Ford SUV had been reported abandoned. The pair was last seen April 29 leaving the Lauderdale County Jail in Alabama. The original story continues below.
A warrant has been issued for a “missing and endangered” jailer who vanished while driving an inmate to court last week, according to Alabama authorities.
Vicki White, assistant director for the Lauderdale County Department of Corrections, is wanted on a count of permitting or facilitating escape after authorities suspect she helped inmate Casey Cole White get away, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton announced at a news conference May 2, multiple news outlets reported.
It’s believed White “acted of her own free will” by leaving with the inmate, who was being held on capital murder charges, Singleton told CNN.
“If she did this willingly, and all indications are that she did, I guess we’re trying to hold on to that last straw of hope that maybe for some reason she was threatened and did this under coercion ... but absolutely you’d feel betrayed,” he told the news outlet.
Vicki White was last seen leaving the jail with Casey Cole White (no relation) to drive him to court on April 29, McClatchy News reported. Neither have been seen since.
The car the two were traveling in was later found abandoned in the parking lot of a nearby shopping center, deputies said. Vicki White alleged that she was taking the inmate for a mental health evaluation, WAFF reported, but Singleton said no such evaluation existed.
Authorities added the corrections officer recently sold her home and applied for retirement on the day she was accused of helping Casey Cole White escape, according to the news station.
It’s not clear where the two may be headed.
McClatchy News reached out to the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office on May 2 and was awaiting a response.
The U.S. Marshals Service has issued a $10,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of Vicki White and the escaped inmate.
Lauderdale County is about 80 miles northwest of Huntsville.
This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Jailer who vanished driving inmate to court now faces criminal charges, Alabama cops say."