Warrant issued for missing Alabama corrections officer

LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. (WAFF/Gray News) - Authorities are still searching for a corrections officer and inmate who went missing on Friday, WAFF reports.

Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton announced Monday at a press conference that an arrest warrant has been issued for Vicky White, an assistant director of corrections for the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office.

She is charged with first-degree permitting or facilitating escape.

Vicky White was last seen when she said she was taking the inmate to a mental health evaluation. Singleton confirmed that no mental health evaluation existed.

Shortly before her disappearance, Vicky White said she had also planned to get medical care because she wasn’t feeling well, but she never arrived.

The vehicle that the two departed in Friday morning was found at a shopping center in Lauderdale County later that afternoon.

Casey White was serving 75 years for a series of crimes and was awaiting a capital murder trial. He is 6 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs about 260 pounds, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. He has brown hair and hazel eyes.

Authorities say Vicky White violated a policy that required more than one official to be involved in transporting inmates. The policy was put in place when Casey White was jailed two years ago and authorities believed he was planning to escape.

“We know she participated. Whether she did that willingly or if she was coerced, threatened somehow to participate in the case, not really sure. We know for sure she did participate,” Singleton said.

The Marshals Service said people with information about Casey White’s location or Vicky White’s disappearance can call the service at 1-800-336-0102. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the U.S. Marshals Tip App.

The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $10,000 for information.