FLORENCE, Ala. — The U.S. Marshals Service said Sunday that it is offering up to $10,000 for information about an escaped inmate and a “missing and endangered” correctional officer who disappeared Friday after the two left a jail in north Alabama.
Casey Cole White (38) was held in Lauderdale County Detention Centre in Florence, Alabama. It is about 75 miles (121 km) west Huntsville.
The inmate and assistant director of corrections Vicky White, 56, left the Lauderdale County Detention Center on Friday morning to go to a nearby courthouse, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post Saturday. The two were not connected, according to investigators.
“Casey White is believed to be a serious threat to the corrections officer and the public,” the U.S. marshal for northern Alabama, Marty Keely, said in a statement Sunday.
WHNT-TV reports that Casey admitted to killing Connie Ridgeway in 2015 while in state prison.
Vicky White is a 16-year veteran of the department. Singleton claimed that she was armed at Friday’s news conference and was heading to the courthouse to conduct a mental assessment on Casey White. According to the sheriff, Singleton left the jail alone with the inmate. This was against department policy.
“Our policy is for any inmate with those kinds of charges to have two sworn deputies escort them. And that did not happen,” Singleton said.
Singleton said that there had been no inmate mental health screening scheduled for the courthouse.
The vehicle the officer and the inmate were in when they left the detention center was found at a nearby shopping center parking lot, according to the sheriff’s office.
Vicky White also told co-workers she had a doctor’s appointment scheduled, which was confirmed but the office said the deputy never showed, the sheriff said. Officials claimed that the pair were not discovered by anyone until six hours after leaving the prison. Vicky White was not able to be reached by deputies. Her phone kept going to voicemail.
Singleton said his department was “aggressively investigating” the incident and would be looking into previous interaction between the two to “see if something else was going on.” Singleton told news outlets that Vicky White had turned in her retirement papers the day before she went missing.
AL.com received a Sunday statement from the sheriff confirming that no developments had been made in the investigation. The Associated Press called the sheriff’s office, but a phone message there said the office was closed Sunday.
Marshals Service stated that Casey measures 6’9″ (2.06 meters) in height and weighs 260 pounds (118kg). Casey has hazel eyes and brown hair.
The Marshals Service said people with information about Casey White’s location or Vicky White’s disappearance can call the service at 1-800-336-0102. The U.S. may accept anonymous tips. Marshals Tip App.
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