A video has emerged online showing longtime Alabama corrections officer Vicky White (56) walking convicted murderer Casey Cole White (38) out of Lauderdale County Jail. Only moments later, the pair would be free to go on the run with $100,000 cash and a series of firearms. They remain on the loose at the time of this writing.
And the story leading up to the brazen escape attempt is bizarre.
VICKY WHITE
Friends and family of Vicky White are reportedly shocked by the bizarre turn of events, describing her as a demonstrably caring and selfless person who purposely purchased a house to be closer to her parents. A house that White sold only weeks before the escape for $95,550 -- well below market value.
White worked with the Lauderdale County Sheriff for 17 years, most recently as the Assistant Director of Corrections for the jail, and was soon set to retire. Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton described her as 'exemplary' and 'admired and respected by co-workers and subordinates' and said that her actions left the detention center "like a wake at a funeral."
"This is not the Vicky White we know, by any stretch of the imagination." She had reportedly spent months telling co-workers of plans to spend the first few months of her retirement 'on the beach.'
The day of the escape was, incredibly, Vicky's last day on the job.
CASEY COLE WHITE
Nobody was surprised, on the other hand, by Casey Cole White's actions. The 38-year-old was serving a 75-year sentence on a capital murder charge after a life spent as a career criminal.
Casey's life as a free man came to an end in December 2015 when, spurred by the notion his ex-girlfriend had found a new lover, he showed up at her house in the dead of night armed with two handguns. While holding two others at gunpoint, his ex-girlfriend escapes the home -- prompting a wild chase through the neighborhood that sees Casey firing both weapons after her, sending bullets whizzing indiscriminately into the night.
Worried about other residents possibly being armed, Casey abandons the chase -- but not before putting at least one of those bullets into his ex's family dog, Missy Britches.
Over the next few hours, White would go on one hell of a crime spree in a bid to evade authorities, waking a random person in the night to hijack the truck in the driveway and attempting two more carjackings that night before finally surrendering to police after an hour-long standoff spent with his own gun at his temple.
THE ESCAPE
After being found guilty of numerous charges including kidnapping and attempted murder, Casey White finds himself staring down the barrel of a 75-year sentence that'll see him over 100-years-old before any hope of release. A month into his sentence, he confesses to the murder of 58-year old Connie Ridgeway, who was stabbed to death in her home following a home invasion.
Casey White would later choose to fight the murder charge.
In 2020, He's transferred from Donaldson prison to Lauderdale County Jail for interrogation related to Ridgeway's death and meets Vicky White, whose primary responsibility is transferring inmates. Shortly after his arrival, authorities discover Casey White has fashioned a shank and is planning an escape.
Officials transfer him back to Donaldson Prison, a maximum-security facility. Casey keeps in touch with Vicky.
Donaldson Maximum Security Prison in Jefferson County, AL
For the next two years, Casey White and Vicky White would maintain contact while Casey jumped between Donaldson and Lauderdale lockup for things related to his defense for his upcoming murder trial.
In February 2022, Casey's legal team wins a motion to have Casey moved to Lauderdale to review documents and prepare for the trial scheduled for June.
On April 18, Vicky White sells her home for $95,550 -- below market value and purchases an orange 2007 Ford Edge.
On April 28, Vicky White submits her retirement papers to Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, citing the very next day would be her last.
Casey White being escorted down a Lauderdale hallway.
At approximately 9:30 AM the next day, Vicky White walks Casey White, clad in shackles and the orange jumpsuit, out of the jail, telling officials there she was transferring him for a mental health evaluation related to his upcoming trial. She seats him in the back of her cruiser before pulling out of the Lauderdale lockup's parking lot for the last time.
Vicky White and Casey White ditch the cruiser at a local shopping center the 2007 Ford Edge is parked.
Interestingly, Casey White's mother asserts that her son falsely confessed to Conway's murder solely to get himself out of prison and into the Lauderdale County Lockup from which he would eventually escape.
CASEY WHITE UPDATE
The pair remains on the run, with a $15,000 total reward for their capture. Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office has released a rendering of what Vicky White may look like should she dye her hair in an attempt to disguise herself, as well as an infographic showing the staggering height difference between the pair -- Casey White is a towering 6' 9" in height, while Vicky White stands at 5' 5".
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