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CrimeUnited States of America

US: On-the-run officer dies, fugitive caught

May 10, 2022

A 10-day search for a corrections officer and a fugitive ex-con she allegedly helped escape has ended, with police saying the former shot herself and the latter surrendered.

https://p.dw.com/p/4B4Z8
This combination of photos provided by the US Marshals Service shows Casey Cole White (left) and assistant director of corrections Vicky White
Casey White and Vickey White, who are not related but have the same last name, disappeared on April 29Image: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Authorities in the US state of Alabama said the 10-day search for a guard-inmate pair who had been on the run was over on Monday. 

Former jail official Vicky White, who was accused of helping an inmate escape, shot and killed herself after a high-speed chase with police, officials said. The 56-year-old was described by investigators as romantically involved with the fugitive prisoner. 

Casey White, the 38-year-old fugitive and long-time criminal, surrendered after the chase, according to the police. 

The two were caught when authorities chasing them crashed into their vehicle after a manhunt through three states, authorities said. 

What we know about the jailbreak 

Vicky White had a spotless record during her service as an Alabama prison officer. She and Casey White vanished on her last day of work before retirement. 

They had left the Lauderdale County Detention Center on April 29 on the pretext of an appointment that didn't exist.

Officials said investigators found she had sold her home in the weeks before the jailbreak and withdrawn about $90,000 (€85,175) in cash from several banks in the area.

Authorities were offering a $10,000 reward for information on the pair.

This image provided by the U.S. Marshals Service on Sunday, May 1, 2022 shows part of a wanted poster for Casey Cole White
The US Marshals was offering up to $10,000 for information about Casey White and Vicky WhiteImage: U.S. Marshals Service/AP Photo/picture alliance

Police 'got a dangerous man off the street'

Casey White was serving a 75-year sentence in prison on charges of kidnapping, burglary and attempted murder, among other crimes. 

He was awaiting trial in the stabbing of a 58-year-old woman during a burglary in 2015. 

"We got a dangerous man off the street today. He is never going to see the light of day again," said Rick Singleton, the sheriff of Lauderdale County in Alabama, home to the scene of the original jailbreak. 

fb/rt (AFP, AP)