Alabama authorities are searching for a corrections officer and inmate who never made it to courtroom

Missing Assistant Director of Corrections Vicki White broke protocol when she escorted inmate Casey White from jail this morning to apparently take him to the courthouse in Lauderdale County, mentioned Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton. The inmate and the corrections officer usually are not related.

Authorities said Casey White was being held on capital homicide costs and two sworn deputies ought to have been with him always, including throughout transportation to court docket.

Vicki White coordinates all transports from the detention center to court and due to this fact knew the protocol, the sheriff added.

Singleton stated that although Casey White was supposedly being transported for a psychological well being evaluation on the courthouse, they've since discovered that no such evaluation or different court docket listening to for him was scheduled for Friday.

"Understanding the inmate, I think she's in danger regardless of the circumstances... He was in jail for capital homicide, and he had nothing to lose," Singleton mentioned.

Authorities are now looking at all possibilities of what happened, including if the corrections officer helped Casey White escape.

"Whether or not she assisted him or not, we do not know, and we cannot deal with that until we've absolute proof that that is what happened. We're assuming at this point that she was taken in opposition to her will, until we can completely prove in any other case," Singleton added.

Authorities stated they are nonetheless looking out and investigating any interaction between the corrections officer and Casey White, as well as any telephone calls he had acquired.

When Vicki White escorted Casey White out of the jail, she instructed the guard she was going to drop him off at the court docket and then go seek medical attention because she wasn't feeling well.

The sheriff stated Casey White was never dropped off at court docket and Vicki White didn't make it to the place where she mentioned she was going to seek medical consideration.

Authorities didn't understand they have been lacking until a number of hours later.

Her automobile, a 2013 Ford Taurus patrol car, was first noticed in a shopping center car parking zone around 11 a.m. by somebody who was on a lunch break, Singleton stated.

Round 3:30 p.m., officers at the jail have been concerned and tried to succeed in her, but her phone kept going straight to voicemail. They then realized Casey White had not been returned to the jail.

Vicki White has been with the department for 25 years and is eligible for retirement -- which she has talked about doing in the last few months, Singleton added.

"All precautions have been in place. The question we have for Director White is why she violated policy," Singleton stated.

Casey White is 6'9" tall is being considered armed and dangerous. Vicki White "was armed with a 9 mm handgun, which means we're assuming he's armed," Singleton added.