$10K reward offered for capture of murder suspect, missing Alabama officer
Inmate Casey White, left, and Assistant Director of Corrections Vicki White (Photos courtesy Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office)
FLORENCE, Ala. - The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the capture of an Alabama capital murder suspect and the missing corrections officer who left the jail with him Friday morning.
Assistant Director of Corrections Vicki White, a 25-year veteran of the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, disappeared around 9:30 a.m. Friday after leaving the jail with inmate Casey White (no relation). Officer White told colleagues she was taking the inmate to a mental health hearing, but no such hearing was scheduled, according to the sheriff’s office. She also said she was going to see a doctor after the hearing because she wasn’t feeling well, but authorities don’t believe she made an appointment or went to a walk-in clinic.
The vehicle they were traveling in when they left the detention center was discovered at a nearby shopping center parking lot around 11 a.m. Friday, deputies said. No one realized they were missing until 3:30 Friday afternoon.
"Knowing the inmate, I think [Officer White] is in danger whatever the circumstances," Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said at a press conference Friday night. "He was in jail for capital murder. He has nothing to lose."
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White, 38, was charged with two counts of murder in September 2020 for the stabbing death of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway, according to the Marshals Service. He was already serving time for a 2015 conviction that involved a home invasion, car jacking and police chase.
White reportedly confessed to killing Ridgeway and was awaiting trial when he disappeared.
"Casey White is believed to be a serious threat to the corrections officer and the public," U.S. Marshal Marty Keely said in a news release."
Anyone with information on Casey White’s location or Vicky White’s disappearance is asked to contact local law enforcement, or call the USMS Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102. Anonymous tips can also be submitted on the U.S. Marshals Tip App.
"Do not attempt to apprehend this fugitive," Keeley said.
White’s escape is still under investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.