Lauderdale Co. officer wanted on facilitating escape charge

LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. (WAFF) - Officials with the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office provided an update on Monday about the missing corrections officer and inmate.

The full press conference can be seen below.

Assistant Director of Corrections, Vicky White, 56, and an inmate, Casey White, have been missing since April 29. According to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton, Vicky was taking Casey to a mental health evaluation. Singleton confirmed no mental health evaluation existed.

The vehicle that the two departed in around 9:30 a.m. on April 29 was found at a shopping center in Lauderdale County in the afternoon of April 29.

Singleton said on Monday that a warrant has been issued for Vicky White’s arrest. She is charged with first-degree permitting or facilitating escape. The maximum time in prison is 10 years with a $15,000 crime.

Vicky White recently sold her house and Friday was expected to be her last day with the department as she was set to retire.

Her neighbors were shocked she was selling her house, and even more surprised to hear she is possibly involved in Casey’s escape.

Kristi Vickry knows Vicky White personally and professionally. She lives next door and Vicky was in jail while Vicky was a corrections officer. She says Vicky was good at her job and always followed the rules.

“She’s going to do her job, she’s going to do it by the books,” said Vickry “She also did that with the other inmates, whenever you did something wrong you would get in trouble for it. (...) I don’t see her taking another inmate and running with him. I just don’t see that.”

Another neighbor, who wants to remain anonymous, lived next to Vicky for three years. He described her as kind, quiet and a great neighbor. “She would for anything for you, I would do anything for her,” said the neighbor. “She never got loud, she was just a quiet pleasant lady.”

There is a nationwide search for Casey and Vicky White. Sheriff Singleton said they have not narrowed down the search yet. This is a multi-agency manhunt, including federal authorities like the FBI and U.S. Marshals. U.S. Marshal C.M. Keely leads the Northern District of Alabama. He says it’s common for them to assist with local cases but they’re putting extra resources towards this search.

“This is now a major case for the Marshal’s service so that triggers additional resources,” said Keely. “It also triggers the funding for the reward that’s been posted so all our assets are available to our partner agency here at Lauderdale County.”

The reward is $10,000 for information leading to the closure of the case.

See below to read more about this developing story:

• https://www.waff.com/2022/04/29/lauderdale-county-corrections-officer-inmate-missing/
• https://www.waff.com/2022/05/01/lauderdale-county-sheriff-releases-new-photos-casey-white/

On Sunday, the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office released the newest photos of Casey.

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