May 1, 2022- 2:55 p.m.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the capture of an escaped inmate from Lauderdale County Jail and the location of a missing and endangered correctional officer from Lauderdale County, Alabama.
Thirty-eight-year-old Casey White is charged with two counts of capital murder in September 2020 in the brutal stabbing of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway.
He was already serving time for a 2015 crime spree that involved home invasion, carjacking, and a police chase. White confessed about the murder and was awaiting trial at the Lauderdale County Jail when he disappeared.
He stands 6 feet 9 inches and weighs approximately 260 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes.
Lauderdale County corrections officer Vicky White is missing in the line of duty. White is the Assistant Director of Corrections.
A Blue alert for White’s disappearance has been issued. “Casey White is believed to be a serious threat to the corrections officer and the public,” said U.S. Marshal Marty Keely.
Anyone with information on White’s location or Assistant Director of Corrections White’s disappearance is urged to contact law enforcement.
You can call the USMS Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102. Anonymous tips may also be submitted via the U.S. Marshals Tip App.
“Do not attempt to apprehend this fugitive,” said Keely. White’s escape is still under investigation. Authorities in Lauderdale County, Alabama, are still searching for a corrections officer and an inmate charged with murder who went missing Friday morning.
Vicki White, assistant director of corrections at the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, and inmate Casey White were last seen about 9:30 a.m. Friday.
She took him from the jail for what she said was a mental evaluation, according to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton. They then disappeared.
The officer and the inmate have the same last name, but are not related. White told a guard she was going to drop off Casey White at the courthouse and seek medical care because she wasn’t feeling well. Turns out there was no medical evaluation scheduled.
She violated protocol by taking such a dangerous inmate by herself without another officer … and as a 25 year veteran on the force she knew the policy. Her vehicle, a 2013 Ford Taurus patrol car, was found abandoned in a shopping center parking lot.
Authorities didn’t realize they were missing until several hours later.
Casey White is 6-foot-9, 270 pounds and considered armed and dangerous with a violent criminal padt. Vicki White “was armed with a 9mm handgun, which means we are assuming he is armed,” Singleton added.
SO, WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS HERE? 1) He overpowered her and took her hostage. 2) He coerced or threatened her into helping him escape. 3) The two have a romantic relationship and she willingly helped him get away.
Authorities are considering all three possibilities. If it is the latter, then they likely had a plan … she had resources and means of transportation.
They could be hiding out anywhere … and if they want to evade authorities long term the best option would be to head south to Mexico.
Right now all options are on the table. Whatever the case, she is in extreme danger whether she knows it or not.
