Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
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The world will likely never know what possessed a public servant with an otherwise sterling record to sacrifice her career, reputation, and ultimately her life in order to help a violent criminal temporarily escape justice.
Vanderburgh (Indiana) County Sheriff Dave Wedding and the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed Monday that Vicky White and Casey White, no relation, had been captured in Evansville, Indiana, after a week-and-a-half on the run.
While Casey White, 38, was taken into custody seemingly without major injury, Vicky White, 56, inflicted on herself what eventually proved a fatal gunshot wound.
Earlier in the day, Wedding had described the gunshot wound as “very serious.” He confirmed to CNN late Monday that Vicky White had died from her injuries.
CNN also reported that U.S. Marshal Matt Keely revealed that Casey White had said to his captors, “Ya’ll help my wife, she shot herself in the head and I didn’t do it.”
The pair were not married, and it is unlikely they would have become so in their brief time on the run.
The story of the pair’s week-plus escapade ended even more dramatically than it began. According to Wedding, a single tip led authorities to the couple, who Wedding said had likely been in the area since May 3.
Wedding held a brief press conference prior to Vicky White’s death detailing the capture of the pair.
“A vehicle had been located in Evansville almost a week ago that appeared to be related to the Alabama escapee and sheriff’s office employee that had fled the area,” Wedding said. “As we were working on this today, we gained information that a vehicle matching the description of a suspect vehicle was near our sheriff’s office. So, the U.S. Marshals Task Force and deputy sheriffs went to the area.”
The Whites almost immediately fled in a Cadillac driven by Vicky White and led authorities on a chase northbound on Highway 41 before a U.S. Marshal rammed the car off the road. In the ensuing crash, the car carrying the Whites rolled, leaving Vicky White penned.
“The Marshals Taskforce Service intercepted them, actually collided with them to try and end the pursuit,” Wedding said. “When this happened, the female drive of the vehicle shot herself and the passenger was injured, not too seriously.”
Casey White has since been returned to Vanderburgh County jail, where he awaits extradition back to Alabama.
Video from the Lauderdale (Alabama) County jail confirmed that Vicky White had helped Casey White, with whom she had developed a romantic relationship, escape under the guise of taking him for a mental health evaluation at a courthouse.
However, neither White ever appeared in court, and indeed no such hearing had ever been scheduled, which led to a nationwide effort to locate the now former jailer and her romantic partner, who was already serving a 75-year sentence for a host of violent crimes and is awaiting a trial for murder.
Casey White had been housed in a state penitentiary prior to his escape but had been relocated to Lauderdale in preparation for his murder trial.
Following the arrest, Lauderdale Country Sheriff Rick Singleton, expressed gratefulness to the Indiana and federal law enforcement agencies that captured Casey White.
“He will be in a cell by himself,” CNN quoted Singleton as saying. “He will stay in handcuffs and shackles while he’s in that cell and if he wants to sue me for violating his civil rights, so be it. He’s not getting out of this jail again. I’ll assure you that.”
Had she lived, Vicky White would have faced charges of permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree as well as forgery and identity theft charges. It is unclear what additional charges Casey White will face for the escape.