Vicky White, assistant director of corrections for the Lauderdale Sheriff’s Department, picked up Casey Cole White, 38, from a detention center Friday morning at 9:30 a.m., armed with a 9mm pistol. The correctional officer said he was going to take Casey White – who has nothing to do with her – to a mental health assessment. But on Friday afternoon, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said there was no scheduled mental health assessment. Vicky White’s car was found abandoned in a mall at 3:30 p.m. and the couple has not been seen since. “I’m extremely, very concerned that he is not in custody,” said Chris Connolly, Lauderdale County Attorney, adding that the FBI is assisting with the investigation, in addition to state and local authorities. “This is a very dangerous situation.” It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. Casey White was facing the death penalty for the murder of Connie Ridgeway, 58, in October 2015 at her home in Rogersville, Alabama. Vicky White, assistant director of corrections for the sheriff’s department, went missing Friday night after taking Casey Cole White (unrelated) out of jail. Connie Ridgeway is pictured with her sons Austin and Cameron. She was murdered in October 2015 in what her killer said was a blow to a contract. He has never been motivated Ridgeway was found stabbed to death in a murder that shook the city of 1,500, 50 miles west of Huntsville. It remains unclear why he was killed.
People said she was known for her friendliness and willingness to help others, and the community for many years held a vigil every October in her memory. Casey White was arrested in December 2015, then 32, after a crime spree in Tennessee and Alabama. In one night, he organized a raid on the house, two car robberies and multiple shootings that left a dog dead and a woman injured. The crimes were followed by a chase, where speeds reached 100 miles per hour, WHNT reported. He ended up with a stolen car stuck in a field south of Huntsville, and the officers – who were apparently well known to him – begged him to drop his weapon and surrender. White got out of the vehicle with a gun and threatened to shoot the officers and himself if he could not speak to Limestone’s sheriff Mike Blakely. The video with the camera shows the deputies trying to make White surrender by offering him smokeless tobacco and Sun Drop citrus soda while they waited for Blakely to arrive. Police in December 2015 depict Casey White in custody after a wild rage in Tennessee and Alabama that resulted in a car chase 100 miles / hour and his stolen car got stuck in a field White appears during the hearing on the case of the murder of Ridgeway in 2020 Casey White was found guilty of a total of nine counts, including attempting to kill his ex-girlfriend and abducting her two roommates. Other charges included first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, third-degree burglary, burglary and vehicle entry, animal abuse for shooting a dog, and attempted escape. He was sentenced in April 2019 to 75 years in prison. In June 2020, he wrote to Lauderdale County requesting a meeting with the sheriff’s office and confessed to killing Ridgeway – providing a detailed description of the crime scene. He said he was paid to kill her, although no motive has been revealed for hiring a killer. In October 2020, 37-year-old Casey White appeared in court for a hearing and asked to remain in Lauderdale County Jail instead of returning to jail, the WAFF reported. His request was denied after authorities said they believed he was planning to escape from Lauderdale County Jail. They had found an improvised knife, hidden it in the shower, and suspected that White intended to use it to force someone to let him out. “We received information yesterday that he had made a knuckle and was planning to escape today and take a hostage,” said Connolly, Lauderdale County Attorney, during the hearing. “Our MPs did an excellent job. “We found the knot and eliminated this threat this morning, so obviously we are not equipped to house one for such a long time in our prison, so we are happy that the judge ordered him to return to the correctional unit.” White, after confessing, then pleaded not guilty to insanity.