Vicky White and Casey White were captured after a short chase ended in a crash in Indiana.
FLORENCE, Ala. —
UPDATE:
Former Lauderdale County Corrections Assistant Director Vicky White, who helped inmate Casey White escape from the jail, has died after a self-inflicted gunshot wound after the couple was apprehended in Indiana. The Vandenburgh County Coroner’s Office says Vicky White died at Deaconess Hospital on Monday evening at 7:06 p.m.
The two fugitives were caught Monday in Evansville, Indiana, after U.S. Marshals pursued their vehicle and then crashed into it. Officials say Casey White surrendered and Vicky White shot herself, and was taken to a hospital. The two are not related. Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear said White died from her injuries.
On Monday, officials learned that the pair was spotted near the sheriff’s office, said Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding in Indiana. As officers arrived, the pair fled in a vehicle and led police on a pursuit, he said. U.S. Marshals collided with them “to try to end the pursuit,” he said. Casey White was injured, not too seriously, in the crash and Vicky White then shot herself, causing “very serious” injuries, he said.
“We’re lucky that no law enforcement was injured, no innocent civilians were injured, the pursuit was short in nature and we have both people in custody,” Wedding said.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Multiple law enforcement authorities are reporting the search for a fugitive inmate from Alabama and the prison employee who helped him escape has ended in southern Indiana.
This is a breaking story. FOX54 News will update it as more information becomes available.
A chase was underway in Indiana when a vehicle containing the pair crashed. Vicky White was in the vehicle and has been taken to the hospital. She is said to be in serious condition from what authorities say is a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Casey White is back in custody. The Evansville sheriff says that they are going to search the vehicle later today.
Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton says that the pair were spotted at a hotel and ran.
Casey White and Vicky White will most likely be returned to Lauderdale County. Vicky White will be housed in a separate facility. Casey White will be in a cell by himself. Sheriff Singleton says that he will be handcuffed and shackled.
“Casey White and Vicky White are in custody,” Singleton said. “This has ended a very long and stressful and challenging week and a half. It ended the way that we knew it would. They are in custody.”
The capture came after tips from the public to law enforcement late Sunday night, Singleton said. Authorities were able to track the pair to a hotel and they fled, he said.
Singleton said he did not know why the two were in Indiana.
“We got a dangerous man off the street today,” Singleton said. “He is never going to see the light of day again.”
“This has ended a very long and stressful and challenging week and a half,” the sheriff said. “It ended the way we knew it would – with them in custody.”
Singleton said he is thankful for the hard work of the Marshals and that no civilians or law enforcement officers were injured.
Of Vicky White, Singleton said, “I hope she survives this … she has some answers to give us.”
Singleton said what made capturing them so difficult was how carefully it was planned.
There is no evidence anyone else was involved in the escape and it is too soon to know if anyone will claim the $25,000 in reward money.
“You don’t know who you can trust… Vicky White was an exemplary employee,” the sheriff said. “You just don’t know people sometime.”
Once back in Alabama, she will be in a different facility than Casey White, he said.
It is not clear when the two will be brought back to Alabama. “If it’s 2 o’clock in the morning it doesn’t matter, the judge agreed to come out,” the sheriff said.
From The Associated Press:
The vehicle was found today in Evansville, Indiana, after U.S. Marshals received a tip Sunday that the 2006 Ford F-150 pickup was found at a car wash in the town, the Marshals Service said. Surveillance photos showed a man who closely resembles Casey White exiting the vehicle at the car wash, officials said.
Investigators believe the pickup truck was stolen in Tennessee and then driven about 175 miles to Evansville, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Earlier: from the U.S. Marshals Service:
U.S. Marshals investigators are in Evansville, Indiana, today, following up on a tip after a vehicle believed to have been used by the two fugitives from Alabama was found abandoned in the area.
Investigators were notified Sunday night that a 2006 Ford F-150 had been discovered at a car wash in the 2000 block of South Weinbach Avenue in Evansville. The owner of the car wash provided the following images from security cameras.
Evansville is about 175 miles north of Williamson County, Tenn., where the orange 2007 Ford Edge had been discovered Thursday in a tow lot about two hours north of Florence, where the fugitive investigation began April 29. Once on scene, investigators determined it was the vehicle used by Vicky White and Casey White.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the capture of Casey Cole White, 38, an escaped inmate from Lauderdale County Jail and up to $5,000 for Vicky White (no relation), 56, the correctional officer who authorities believe helped him escape April 29 from the Lauderdale County Detention Facility. Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office is offering an additional $5,000 for each fugitive.
May 9, 2022:
According to the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, new charges have been filed against Vicky White in relation to the escape of Casey Cole White. These charges stem from her using an alias to purchase the vehicle, a 2007 Ford Edge, used to facilitate the escape. This is the second warrant for Vicky White.
New video has been released in the case of Vicky White and Casey White. If you see either of them, please call 911 or the USMS Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102. Anonymous tips may also be submitted via the U.S. Marshals Tip App.
MAY 7, 2022:
The Sheriff stated that this video is from the morning of April 29, 2022. It depicts Vicky White checking out of the hotel room. Following this, she reports to work and begins the process of aiding in the escape of Casey White. Investigators say the time of the surveillance system was off slightly. To get the correct time, add one hour and ten minutes.
MAY 6, 2022:
“Both Casey White and Vicky White pose a major threat to the public, and they must be apprehended. I am pleased to offer this support as law enforcement works diligently to get these dangerous criminals behind bars.”
This was the quote from Alabama Governor Kay Ivey as the reward for the fugitives was raised by a total of $10,000.
The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office updated the public on the week-long search for former Lauderdale County Corrections assistant director Vicky White and inmate Casey White.
Sheriff Singleton said that the suspected getaway car was located in Williamson County, TN, on the afternoon of Friday, April 29, before the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office knew the pair were missing. A resident reported an abandoned car on a rural road east of Spring Hill and the vehicle was towed by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.
The description of the escape vehicle was not released until Tuesday morning, so deputies had no reason to suspect anything about the car on Friday. The car was searched and nothing was found except a failed attempt to spray paint it. Deputies are checking the sparsely populated area for witnesses who might have seen the two in the area or any reports of stolen vehicles.
Singleton says that with this development, they are back to square one where the vehicle is concerned.
It has previously been reported that they might be in possession of an AR-15 rifle, shotgun, and hand gun. Singleton says these were Vicky White’s personal weapons. He also said that her knowledge of corrections and her knowledge of the procedures in the sheriff’s office transport gave her an advantage and that the escape was a very calculated, well-thought-out plan. He said it does not appear that anyone else was involved.
Earlier in the week, two aliases known to be used by Vicky White were released and an alias was used to buy the car. Like the information about the car, the aliases were inadvertently released early, and Singleton believes she has probably “ditched those aliases”.
Before the escape, Vicky White withdrew around $90,000 from different banks in Lauderdale County.
Anyone with information on the Whites’ location is urged to call 9-1-1 or the USMS Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102. Anonymous tips may also be submitted via the U.S. Marshals Tip App.
Casey White is 6’9″ tall, 330 pounds, with multiple tattoos. Images were released earlier today:
Vicky White may have altered her appearance. Below are pictures of her with dark hair.
Casey Cole White, 38, was charged with capital murder in September 2020 in murder of Connie Ridgeway. He was already serving a 75-year sentence for a 2015 crime spree that involved home invasion, carjacking, and a police chase. White confessed to the murder and was awaiting trial at the Lauderdale County Jail when he disappeared.
Sheriff Singleton said that while investigators have confirmed that Vicky White and Casey White had a special relationship and that the two communicated by phone while he was in Donaldson Prison, it does not appear that the relationship was intimate.