(NewsNation) — Escaped inmate Casey White is in custody after an 11-day statewide manhunt ended with a car chase, crash and the death of a female corrections officer who authorities say broke him out of jail.
Investigators believe corrections officer Vicky White helped capital murder suspect Casey White escape the Lauderdale County Jail in Florence, Alabama, on April 29. Authorities said the pair had a “special relationship.” Vicky White died at a hospital Monday.
“Their plan was faulty and it failed,” Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said. “Thank god.”
Casey White was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail at 1:42 a.m. Tuesday morning. He was initially hospitalized for treatment of his injuries sustained in Monday’s crash. Investigators on the scene described Casey’s injuries as “not that bad” and said he was cooperating with the police.
According to Wedding, Casey White signed a waiver of extradition and is expected to be transported back to Alabama for arraignment. The date and time of his transfer will not be made public.
Wedding said “we got a lot of tips” as he detailed the surveillance and capture of the two suspects.
According to Wedding, the pair had paid for a 14-day stay at a hotel in Evansville, Indiana one mile from where they were captured. Police were surveilling the hotel after a tip.
The suspects fled the hotel and after a short chase, task force members rammed the vehicle which then crashed into a ditch.
That ditch “saved many lives,” Wedding said as Casey White was planning “to engage in a shootout with law enforcement.”
Four semi-automatic handguns and an AR-15 were recovered from their vehicle, according to Wedding. Multiple wigs that were meant to be used as disguises with also found.
After the crash, Vicky White shot herself and Casy White gave himself up, Wedding said.
Life-saving measures were attempted on Vicky White, who then died at the hospital.
Authorities said that the suspects had purchased the 2006 Ford F-150 and drove it to Indiana where it was then discovered at a car wash in Evansville.
The owner of the car wash had tipped off investigators, but police were unsure if he will be receiving any reward money.
They were not certain where the suspects got the Cadillac, the vehicle they were in when apprehended.
Along with the guns, about $29,000 in cash was found in the vehicle, that Wedding said was probably what was leftover from the $95,000 court documents show Vicky White made selling her home last month.
After extradition to Alabama, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton says extra measures will be put in place to isolate Casey White from the rest of the detention center and that he will be “shackled 24/7.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
