Sheriff: Ex-jail official, inmate she helped escape caught

A former Alabama jail official and the murder suspect she is accused of helping escape from custody were apprehended Monday in Indiana after more than a week on the run, law enforcement officials said.

Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton of Alabama said the two fugitives were caught near Evansville, Indiana, after U.S. Marshals pursued their pickup truck. Casey White, 38, surrendered and Vicky White, 56, was taken to a hospital, the sheriff 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,” Singleton said.

In Indiana, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said officials had learned that their vehicle was near the sheriff’s office. As officers arrived, Casey and Vicky White fled in the 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 ensuing 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

The two had been the target of a nationwide manhunt since April 29 when Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections for the jail in Lauderdale County, allegedly helped engineer the escape of Casey White, who was awaiting trial in a capital murder case. Vicky White had told co-workers she was taking the inmate from the jail for a mental health evaluation at the courthouse, but the two instead fled the area.

Casey White was serving a 75-year prison sentence for attempted murder and other charges at the time of his escape.

“We got a dangerous man off the street today. He is never going to see the light of day again. That is a good thing, for not just our community. That’s a good thing for our country,” Singleton said.

A warrant was issued on May 2 for Vicky Sue White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree.

Vicky White’s family members and co-workers said they were stunned by her involvement. Singleton had said that, in hindsight, it appeared the plan had been in the works for some time. Jail inmates said the two had a special relationship and she gave Casey White better treatment than other inmates. She had recently sold her home and purchased what would become the getaway car that authorities later found abandoned in Tennessee.

“This escape was obviously well-planned and calculated. A lot of preparation went into this. They had plenty of resources, had cash, had vehicles,” the sheriff said.

Their pickup truck was found Monday in Evansville, Indiana, after U.S. Marshals received a tip Sunday that the 2006 Ford F-150 pickup was seen 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.

Federal and local law enforcement officials have also learned Casey White threatened to kill his former girlfriend and his sister in 2015 and said, “that he wanted police to kill him,” the Marshals Service said. Investigators said they have been in contact with them about the threats and are taking measures to ensure their safety.

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Associated press writer Mike Balsamo contributed from Washington.