Police in Alabama have issued an arrest warrant for a correctional officer who disappeared with a murder suspect.
Vicky White, 56, who is an assistant director of corrections for the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, vanished alongside inmate Casey Cole White, 38, on their way to a non-existent court appearance on Friday (29 April).
In a press conference on Monday (2 May), Sheriff Rick Singleton confirmed his co-worker is now charged with first-degree permitting or facilitating escape.
Mr Singleton also revealed that officials had obtained a video showing the pair leaving the jail in a patrol car on Friday morning.
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He added that video surveillance shows the patrol car stopped at an intersection two blocks from where it was later found abandoned eight minutes after it left the facility.
The officer said: "That's eight minutes time spent. What that tells us is that the patrol car left the detention centre and went straight to the parking lot.
“There was not enough time for them to even try to attempt to come to the courthouse, and then get out there and be at that red light eight minutes later."
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He said it was unclear if Ms White, who is no relation to the inmate, had been coerced or planned the escape.
“Obviously, she could have willingly participated. But we’re also concerned that maybe somehow, someone got to her and coerced her or threatened her, forced her to assist in this escape,” Mr Singleton told reporters.
A manhunt is now underway for the pair and the US Marshals Service offering a $10,000 (£7,900) reward for information leading to White’s capture.
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Ms White had been with the sheriff’s office for two decades and was described as an 'exemplary employee' with an 'unblemished record'.
Notably, she recently sold her home and filed for retirement prior to her disappearance.
Retracing their steps, the sheriff’s office said that Ms White picked up the intimate from the detention centre at around 9.30am.
She told the booking officer that she was taking him for a mental health evaluation at Lauderdale County Courthouse and was the only armed officer who could.
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Ms White also told her co-workers that once she had escorted the 6ft 9in inmate to court she was going to seek medical attention for herself as she felt unwell.
However, they never arrived at the courthouse and neither the corrections officer nor the inmate have been seen since.
Sheriff Singleton said that they have since learned that White had no scheduled court appearance or appointments that day.
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Casey Cole White is currently serving a 75-year sentence for a home invasion, two car jackings, and multiple shootings in 2015.
He is also awaiting trial over the stabbing murder of a 59-year-old woman that same year.
Sheriff Singleton said that White previously plotted a prison escape in 2020, planning to take a hostage to break out of the jail before the plot was foiled by guards.
He also added that the inmate is 'is an extremely dangerous person'.
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Lisa McLoughlin