US authorities capture jailbreak couple after manhunt
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US authorities said they captured Monday a fugitive inmate and a prison guard believed to have helped him escape, after an intense 10-day manhunt that riveted America.
“Casey White is in custody,” said Rick Singleton, the sheriff of Lauderdale County in Alabama, referring to the 38-year-old inmate that was half of the jailbreak couple believed to have been romantically linked.
The guard, Vicky White, 56, — no relation — has been taken to hospital with an injury after the arrest in Indiana, said Singleton. The couple’s vehicle crashed after a chase and the inmate surrendered, he said.
The sheriff said he does not know the extent of the woman’s injuries and declined to comment on reports that she shot herself.
“I hope she survives it. You know, we don’t wish any ill will on Vicky in terms of her health, her well-being. But she has some answers to give us and hopefully we’ll have that opportunity to get those answers,” Singleton said.
Vicky White, an Alabama prison guard with a spotless record, is suspected of helping long-time criminal Casey White of escaping custody April 29 on her last day of work before retirement.
The prisoner has had numerous run-ins with the law, and has been sentenced to 75 years imprisonment for kidnapping, burglary and attempted murder, among other crimes.
Investigators also learned that Vicky White, 56, had sold her home in the weeks before the escape, and had withdrawn about $90,000 in cash from several banks in the area, Singleton said last week.
The US Marshals Service, a federal agency specialised in fugitive manhunts, also said in a report Friday that Vicky White might have darkened her hair.
The agency released composite images of what she would look like, as well as photos of Casey White’s tattoos — including one associated with a white supremacist prison gang.
Their report also noted the couple’s stark difference in size, with Casey White standing a full foot (0.3 meters) taller.
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