Pop Spotlight

A 10-day manhunt has ended in a car crash, two people apprehended, and one in the hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Casey Cole White, an escaped inmate from a north Alabama jail, and Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections for Lauderdale County, Alabama, are in custody in Evansville, Indiana, after the manhunt, which began April 29, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton announced during a press conference on Monday.

The pair, who were not related, were found at a hotel, according to the sheriff, after a tip from a citizen led to their whereabouts on Sunday night. A chase ensued, which led to their pickup truck being wrecked. Vicky White was injured. The sheriff could not confirm the extent of her injuries during the presser, but WHNT reported that Vicky endured a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The pair disappeared after leaving the jail the morning of April 29 with Vicky reportedly saying she was taking Casey to a mental health evaluation at the courthouse. But Singleton said Casey didn’t have any evaluation and Vicky — a 16-year veteran of the corrections department — was escorting Casey alone in violation of department policy.

“We got a dangerous man off the streets today,” Singleton said on Monday. Evansville is around 278 miles away from Lauderdale County. It’s unclear what led them to that area. It is also unclear the condition of Vicky White or if there was a connection to Evansville. “They will be brought back to Alabama to face arraignment,” Singleton said, adding that Casey faces charges related to his escape, and that he will be arraigned and immediately.

“I wanted to get them off the streets,” Singleton said, adding that he “always expected this” outcome. He said that this particular escape was challenging because “it was well-planned and well-calculated.” The pair had access to cash and vehicles. During the press conference, he praised the United States Marshals and said there was “no evidence that I know of that anyone else was involved.”

Casey White was serving a 75-year sentence for a series of crimes, including home invasion, carjacking, and a police chase. In 2020, he confessed to a 2015 murder, but later pleaded not guilty when charged with two counts of capital murder.

Vicky White, who was already facing charges for permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree, was also charged with forgery in the second degree and identity theft, authorities said on Monday prior to the announcement of the pair’s capture. The new charges are related to her alleged use of an alias to purchase a 2007 Ford Edge used in the pair’s escape.

“What in the world provoked [Vicky White] to pull a stunt like this, I don’t know,” Singleton said of the officer, who was reportedly getting ready to retire. “You just don’t know people sometimes.”