Search was challenging for investigators
Vicky White “was basically the mastermind behind the whole plan,” Singleton said Tuesday.
“He was behind bars. He really couldn’t plan too much behind bars, but, yes, I think — personally, I think she was the one to put the plan together,” he told CNN’s John Berman on Tuesday.
As the second in command at the detention center, White used her position to execute the plan, Singleton said.
“She scheduled the van transport that morning, made sure all the other armed deputies were out of the building and tied up in court. Knew the booking officer wouldn’t question her … when she told her she was going to take him to court and drop him off with other employees,” Singleton said.
“She arranged — purchased the getaway car, she sold her house, got her hands on cash, she went shopping, bought clothes for him. She just — she just obviously put the plan together,” Singleton said.
“Casey White didn’t escape from the facility; he was basically just let out,” the sheriff said.
Vicky White’s years of law enforcement expertise presented unique difficulties for authorities.
“This escape was obviously well planned and calculated,” Singleton said Monday, noting that escapes from county jails are usually spontaneous. “A lot of preparation went into this. They had plenty of resources, had cash, had vehicles, had everything they needed to pull this off, and that’s what made this last week and a half so challenging. We were starting from ground zero, and not only that … they got a six-hour head start on us.”
Investigators previously released video of Vicky White at a Quality Inn in Florence, Alabama, where they say she stayed the night before the escape. Singleton also said they have footage of her shopping for men’s clothing at a department store and at an “adult store,” adding that she “obviously had a change of clothes” for the inmate.
Before her disappearance, Vicky White submitted her retirement papers, sold her home
for well below market value and purchased the car the pair would use to escape, officials have said.
The day of the disappearance was set to be her last day of work, but her retirement papers were never finalized, according to Singleton. The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office announced last week that she was no longer employed there.
Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly, who said he worked with the officer almost daily for 17 years, told CNN last week he “would have trusted her with my life.”
“I am so disappointed in her,” he said. “She was trusted and she exploited that trust.”
Counselors will be made available at the Lauderdale County Detention Center for staff who may need them after Vicky White’s death, according to Singleton.
“It’s a small agency, like family,” he told CNN. “Some of these younger deputies she was like a mother figure to them and I know they’re going to take it hard.”
Casey White will likely need to return to the detention center in the future for court hearings related to his murder charges. Singleton said the inmate will be isolated in a cell.
“He’s going to stay in chains and handcuffs and when he leaves that facility, I guarantee you there’s going to be two deputies with him,” he said. “And he’s not going to get out of this jail again. I don’t want him here any longer than he has to be.”
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