Vicky White, the Alabama corrections officer accused of helping a murder suspect escape from jail has died, according to officials.
She and Casey White – the inmate who escaped – were taken into custody on Monday in Indiana after spending 11 days on the run.
Officials say they spotted the pair near the sheriff’s office in Evansville. As officers arrived, the pair took off in a vehicle and led police on a chase. Authorities say that U.S. Marshals crashed into their car “to try to end the pursuit,” Casey White was injured in the crash and Vicky White then shot herself, causing “very serious” injuries.
“We’re lucky that no law enforcement was injured, no innocent civilians were injured, the pursuit was short in nature and we have both people in custody,” Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said.
The arrest of the pair ended a nationwide manhunt that started April 29 when Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections for the jail in Lauderdale County, allegedly helped plan Casey White’s escape.
Casey White was serving a 75-year prison sentence for attempted murder and other charges at the time of his escape. He was awaiting trial in the stabbing of a 58-year-old woman during a burglary in 2015. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
“We got a dangerous man off the street today. He is never going to see the light of day again. That is a good thing, for not just our community. That’s a good thing for our country,” Singleton said.
“This has ended a very long and stressful and challenging week and a half. It ended the way that we knew it would. They are in custody,” Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton of Alabama said.
Federal and local law enforcement officials have also learned Casey White threatened to kill his former girlfriend and his sister in 2015 and said “that he wanted police to kill him,” the Marshals Service said.
A warrant was issued on May 2 for Vicky Sue White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree.
Vicky White’s family members and co-workers said they were stunned by her involvement. Singleton said she had been an exemplary employee but, in hindsight, it appeared the plan had been in the works for some time. Jail inmates said the two had a special relationship and she gave Casey White better treatment than other inmates.
In the past several months, she bought a rifle and a shotgun and also was known to have a handgun, U.S. Marshal Marty Keely said.
She sold her house for about half of market value and bought a 2007 orange Ford Edge that she stashed at a shopping center without license plates.
“This escape was obviously well-planned and calculated. A lot of preparation went into this. They had plenty of resources, had cash, had vehicles,” Singleton said.
The escape happened on what Vicky White said was going to be her last day at work. She told co-workers that Casey White had a mental health evaluation at the courthouse, but none was scheduled. She did not have a second officer accompany them, which was against jail policy.
Video showed the pair went from the jail to the shopping center, where they picked up the Ford and left, Singleton said. Their flight was not discovered for much of the day.
Investigators believe the pickup truck Casey White had at the car wash was stolen in Tennessee and then driven about 175 miles (280 kilometers) to Evansville, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
