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

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, stated Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton. The inmate and the corrections officer will not be related.

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

Vicki White coordinates all transports from the detention center to court docket and subsequently knew the protocol, the sheriff added.

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

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

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

"Whether or not she assisted him or not, we do not know, and we can't handle that till now we have absolute proof that that is what happened. We are assuming at this point that she was taken against her will, unless we can absolutely show otherwise," Singleton added.

Authorities said they are nonetheless searching and investigating any interplay between the corrections officer and Casey White, as well as any telephone calls he had received.

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

The sheriff said Casey White was never dropped off at court and Vicki White did not make it to the place the place she stated she was going to seek medical attention.

Authorities did not understand they have been missing until a number of hours later.

Her car, a 2013 Ford Taurus patrol automotive, was first spotted in a shopping mall parking lot round 11 a.m. by someone who was on a lunch break, Singleton mentioned.

Round 3:30 p.m., officers at the jail have been involved and tried to achieve her, however her cellphone kept going straight to voicemail. They then realized Casey White had not been returned to the jail.

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

"All precautions were in place. The question we've got for Director White is why she violated policy," Singleton said.

Casey White is 6'9" tall is being considered armed and harmful. Vicki White "was armed with a 9 mm handgun, which implies we are assuming he is armed," Singleton added.