Vicky White, 56, and Casey White, 38, were captured by authorities in Evansville, Indiana, following a car chase with authorities tracking them down following a public tip-off Sunday, Lauderdale County, Alabama, Sheriff Rick Singleton said. It was one of hundreds of tips officials reviewed in the 11 days after Vicky White helped Casey White escape from jail.
Officers conducting the stakeout saw Vicky White leaving a hotel wearing a wig, according to US Marshal Matt Keely. She and Casey White then got into a car and drove away.
Authorities continued to watch them until a vehicle chase began, which ended when a member of the US Marshals task force drove a vehicle into the Cadillac in which the two were. The car crashed and flipped, Keely said. Casey White was driving the car, according to US Marshals.
Officers were able to remove the inmate from the wrecked car, but Vicky White was trapped inside with a gunshot wound to the head, Keely said.
Casey White reportedly told authorities to help “his wife” who had shot herself in the head and told them he didn’t do it, according to Keely. To the best of investigators’ knowledge, Casey White and Vicky White were not married, Keely noted, and investigators previously said they were not related.
No law enforcement officers fired shots during the chase, according to Singleton.
The couple’s capture ended a long manhunt that drew widespread attention. But for those close to Vicky White who were waiting for an explanation of her unexpected disappearance and her motives, many questions remain unanswered.
As details emerged throughout the investigation suggesting that Vicky White planned to assist the inmate, with whom authorities believe she had a romantic relationship, in his escape, her family and colleagues were left stunned.
On Monday, before Vicky White died, Singleton said that she and Casey White would be taken back to Alabama for an arraignment.
“She has some answers to give us,” he said. “What the hell triggered her, prompted her to do a stunt like this, I don’t know. I don’t know if we’ll ever know.”
Hint led to his capture
The officer and inmate are believed to have been in Evansville since May 3, Vanderburgh County, Illinois, Sheriff Dave Wedding told CNN.
Investigators were told Sunday night that a 2006 Ford F-150 had been discovered at a car wash in Evansville, which is about 175 miles north of Williamson County, Tennessee, where it is believed to be. The pair abandoned a vehicle they left in after leaving Vicky White’s patrol near the jail. Marshals traveled to Indiana to follow up on the tip, the service said.
Investigators released photos Monday of a person they believe to be Casey White caught on surveillance camera at the car wash. Vicky White is not seen in the images.
The couple initially disappeared on April 29 when Vicky White said she was taking Casey White to court for a mental evaluation. But they never made it to the courthouse and authorities later discovered they drove to a shopping center parking lot, abandoned the officer’s patrol car and escaped in a vehicle Vicky White had driven there the night before, authorities said.
Casey White will return to Alabama, where he was facing murder charges before his escape and was already serving a 75-year sentence for other crimes. Before her death, Vicky White was charged with allowing or facilitating a first-degree escape, in addition to forgery and identity theft charges related to using an alias to purchase the 2007 Ford Edge in which the couple initially escaped, they said. The authorities.
The veteran officer has been described by Singleton as “an exemplary employee” with an “unblemished record” who commanded the trust and respect of her colleagues. As the investigation unfolded, the sheriff acknowledged that her apparent behavior is not consistent with the person her colleagues thought they knew.
“Obviously, there was a side to Vicky White that we weren’t aware of,” she previously told CNN.
The search was a challenge for the researchers
Vicky White’s years of law enforcement experience presented law enforcement with unique challenges.
“Obviously this breakout was well planned and calculated,” Singleton said, noting that breakouts from county jails are often spontaneous. “They prepared a lot for this. They had a lot of resources, cash, vehicles, everything they needed to pull this off, and that’s what made this last week and a half so challenging. We started from scratch, and not only that. .. they have a six-hour head start on us.”
Investigators previously released video of Vicky White at a Quality Inn in Florence, Alabama, where they say she stayed the night before the escape. Singleton also said they have footage of her shopping for men’s clothing at a department store and an “adult store,” adding that she “obviously had a change of clothes” for the inmate.
The day of the disappearance was scheduled to be his last day of work, but his retirement papers were never finalized, according to Singleton. The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office announced last week that he no longer worked there.
Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly, who said he worked with the officer almost daily for 17 years, told CNN last week that he “would have trusted her with my life.”
“I’m very disappointed in her,” he said. “She was trustworthy and she exploited that trust.”
Counselors will be available at the Lauderdale County Detention Center for staff who may need them after Vicky White’s death, according to Singleton.
“It’s a small agency, like a family,” he told CNN. “Some of these younger MPs she was like a mother figure to them and I know they’re going to take it badly.”
Casey White will likely have to return to the detention center in the future for court hearings related to her murder charges. Singleton said the inmate will be isolated in a cell.
“He will be chained and handcuffed and when he leaves that facility, I guarantee you there will be two officers with him,” he said. “And he’s not getting out of this jail again. I don’t want him here any longer than necessary.”
CNN’s Nadia Romero, Jamiel Lynch, Jenn Selva, Amara Walker and Jade Gordon contributed to this report.
Reference-www.cnn.com