The “very dangerous” Alabama prisoner and the prison officer who assisted him in escaping and then fleeing with him chatted on the phone on a frequent basis over the last two years while the offender was incarcerated in a separate institution, according to the local sheriff.
Casey Cole White, 38, and Vicky White, 56 – who are not related but have a “special relationship,” according to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton – “were in contact via phone” between 2020 and 2022 while the inmate was in the custody of William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer, Alabama.
On Friday morning, Cole White and Vicky White departed together in her marked law enforcement car from the Lauderdale County Detention Center, some 110 miles from Donaldson. Vicky White was the prison center’s assistant director of corrections at the time.
On Friday, the couple allegedly swapped that vehicle for a 2007 copper Ford Edge SUV with damage to the back bumper and then vanished, sparking a manhunt conducted by the US Marshals. Authorities believe they were armed with a shotgun and an AR-15, and Vicky White was most likely carrying her service weapon.
After admitting to the 2015 death of Connie Ridgeway, 58, Cole White was transferred from the Donaldson center to the Lauderdale facility in 2020. They met there and stayed in touch after he returned to Donaldson in 2020 or 2022.
Cole White, according to the sheriff, had planned an escape attempt from the county jail in late 2020.
On the day of his arraignment, he allegedly planned to kidnap a hostage and flee the institution before being sent back to state jail. Authorities said he was captured in possession of a “shank,” or prison dagger, and was securely brought back to jail.
In February of this year, he returned to the county jail to await trial.
Vicky White, according to Singleton, had sold her home about a month before the April 29 escape and had been talking about moving to the beach for months.
She reportedly informed coworkers on Friday morning that she was going to take the prisoner to the county courtroom for an examination and would then stop at a doctor’s office.
Vicky White was believed to have gone to work that day to complete her final shift before retiring, according to Singleton. However, she had yet to overcome the bureaucratic obstacles.
“I believe she had access to some cash from the sale of the property,” he added. “The paperwork for retirement was never submitted to the state retirement system. Before she could do that, she needed to meet with the personnel director.”
When Casey White reportedly confessed to murdering Ridgeway, he was serving an unrelated 75-year jail sentence. He eventually pled not guilty due to insanity. Singleton warned law enforcement authorities on Monday that the escaped prisoner should be regarded as “very dangerous” and that they should not take “any risks” if they come across him.
According to court records, he also pled guilty to a domestic violence charge in 2010 and was sentenced to six years in state prison for striking a male relative with an ax handle.
According to officials and jail records, Cole White measures 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighs between 260 and 330 pounds.
Vicky White stands 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs around 145 pounds. Her hair is blonde, and her eyes are brown.
The US Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the fugitives’ capture. Anyone with information on their location should contact the United States Marshals Service.
