“The question is: did he do this willingly or was he forced to do so by prisoner White threatening her and / or her family or by other means,” the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to news agencies Saturday afternoon. . Vicky White, assistant director of corrections at Lauderdale County Jail, and Casey Cole White, a man convicted of manslaughter, have been missing since they left the jail at 9:41 a.m. Friday morning. The two have nothing to do. Sheriff Rick Singleton said the main focus right now is finding the two. Before leaving prison on Friday, Vicky White told prison staff to prepare Casey White for transfer to Lauderdale County Court for a mental health assessment, the sheriff said, although no such appearance was scheduled. Vicky White also told her colleagues that she was going to seek medical help after removing Casey White to court because she was not feeling well, but Singleton said there was no such medical appointment. “Our secondary focus is on exploring the escape itself,” Singleton said in a statement Saturday afternoon. “There are indications, as there was no scheduled court appearance, that AD (assistant director) White helped escape.” The sheriff posted a timeline on Saturday detailing the chain of events and what happened to the investigation following the disappearances of Vicky White and Casey White. The two never reached the courthouse, located in central Florence, about half a mile from the county jail. At 11:34 a.m., about two hours after the couple left prison, a Florentine police officer spotted White patrol car. It was parked among vehicles available for sale. The officer, like other law enforcement officials, did not know at the time that Officer White and Casey White were missing. At 3:30 p.m., a prison official told administration he was trying to contact Deputy White, but could not reach her. The official also said that Casey White had not returned to prison. After law enforcement officials announced that the couple was missing, according to the sheriff’s office, a member of the public said he saw the patrol car in a parking lot of a mall. The deputies searched the vehicle but did not find any information. As of 5:30 p.m., about 20 local investigators were working on the case, examining surveillance videos from the courthouse, jail, mall and other locations. As of Saturday morning, lawmakers were still searching for any spikes in a vehicle that may have been used after the White patrol car was abandoned. The FBI, the U.S. Army Brigadier General and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency are assisting with the investigation. The state issued a Blue Alert. “Casey White is believed to be a serious threat to the prison staff and the public,” the statement said. Speaking to reporters at a news conference Friday night, Sheriff Singleton said he believed Deputy White was in danger, citing Casey White’s history of violence. “He was in jail for murder,” the sheriff said. He said Vicky White was an “exemplary employee” before violating the sheriff’s office policy by traveling alone with an inmate. Two jurors are supposed to accompany inmates. In 2020, Casey White was charged with two counts of manslaughter for the murder of Connie Jane Ridgeway on October 23, 2015. Rogersville police found Ridgeway’s body in the living room of her apartment after a neighbor searched it. The 59-year-old lived in Meadowland Apartments on Prince Drive in Rogersville, across from Lauderdale County High School football field. White in December 2015 was charged with a two-state crime spree that left a dog dead and a woman injured. Police said they carried out multiple shootings, a home invasion and two car robberies in northern Alabama and southern Tennessee. In 2019, he was found guilty of a total of nine charges, including attempting to kill his ex-girlfriend and kidnapping her two roommates. Anyone who sees Casey White is advised to contact 911 immediately. Authorities say it is not safe for the 38-year-old to approach. Described from the beginning as 6 feet 6 inches tall and 252 pounds. He has salt and pepper hair, hazel eyes and tattoos on both his hands, according to state police. Vicky White, who has worked in the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office for more than 16 years, is initially described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and 160 pounds. He has brown eyes and blond or strawberry blond hair, according to state police. It’s 56.
