U.S. Marshals offer $10k for escaped inmate, official

Authorities issued an arrest warrant Monday for an officer accused of helping a prisoner escape from an Alabama jail Friday morning. Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said Casey Cole White, 38, is 6 feet, 9 inches tall, 260 pounds, and would be easy to spot. White, who was already serving a 75-year sentence for a 2015 crime spree, was scheduled for trial next month on additional charges of burglary and attempted murder of a woman who was stabbed to death. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Vicky White, assistant director for corrections and no relation to Casey White, was set for retirement the day she disappeared.

How did they escape? Vicky White told co-workers she was taking the inmate to the courthouse for a mental health evaluation. But Singleton said no such evaluation was scheduled and the pair went to a shopping center parking lot where the van was later found. Authorities instituted a rule two years ago requiring at least two officials to be involved in Casey’s transport after they believed he was planning an escape. The two are considered dangerous and likely armed. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Leigh Jones’ report on U.S. prison history and rehabilitation trends on the Effective Compassion podcast.