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, mentioned Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton. The inmate and the corrections officer aren't related.

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

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

Singleton said that although Casey White was supposedly being transported for a mental health analysis on the courthouse, they have since realized that no such evaluation or other court docket listening to for him was scheduled for Friday.

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

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

"Whether she assisted him or not, we don't know, and we cannot address that till we've absolute proof that that's what happened. We are assuming at this level that she was taken against her will, until we are able to absolutely show otherwise," Singleton added.

Authorities said they're still searching and investigating any interplay between the corrections officer and Casey White, as well as any phone calls he had received.

When Vicki White escorted Casey White out of the jail, she informed the guard she was going to drop him off on the court docket and then go search medical attention because she wasn't feeling nicely.

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

Authorities didn't understand they were lacking till a number of hours later.

Her car, a 2013 Ford Taurus patrol automotive, was first spotted in a shopping center parking lot around 11 a.m. by somebody who was on a lunch break, Singleton said.

Around 3:30 p.m., officers on the jail were involved and tried to reach her, however her cellphone stored 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 previous couple of months, Singleton added.

"All precautions had been in place. The question we now have for Director White is why she violated coverage," Singleton mentioned.

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