Alabama authorities are searching for a corrections officer and inmate who by no means made it to courtroom

Lacking 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, said Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton. The inmate and the corrections officer are not related.

Authorities mentioned Casey White was being held on capital murder expenses and two sworn deputies ought to have been with him at all times, including during transportation to courtroom.

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

Singleton mentioned that though Casey White was supposedly being transported for a psychological health evaluation at the courthouse, they have since discovered that no such evaluation or other court docket listening to for him was scheduled for Friday.

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

Authorities are now taking a look at all prospects of what occurred, together with if the corrections officer helped Casey White escape.

"Whether she assisted him or not, we do not know, and we won't deal with that until now we have absolute proof that that's what happened. We're assuming at this point that she was taken in opposition to her will, until we are able to absolutely prove in any other case," Singleton added.

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

When Vicki White escorted Casey White out of the jail, she advised the guard she was going to drop him off at the court and then go search medical consideration as a result of she wasn't feeling properly.

The sheriff stated Casey White was by no means dropped off at courtroom and Vicki White didn't make it to the place where she stated she was going to hunt medical consideration.

Authorities didn't understand they had been missing until a number of hours later.

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

Around 3:30 p.m., officers on the jail had been involved and tried to reach her, but her phone saved 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 previous couple of months, Singleton added.

"All precautions were in place. The query now we have for Director White is why she violated policy," Singleton mentioned.

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