By James Simons-
A prison officer accused of helping a “dangerous” inmate escape has died following a police car chase a week after the pair went on the run.
The two fugitives were caught on Monday in Evansville, Indiana, after US Marshals crashed into their vehicle, ending a three-state pursuit that began on April 29.
Vicky White, 56, shot herself and died of her injuries in hospital. Casey White, 38, surrendered to the police.
Police said Mr White, who was serving a 75-year sentence for attempted murder and awaiting trial for the stabbing of a 58-year-old woman during a burglary, would “never see the light of day again”.
“We got a dangerous man off the street today. He is never going to see the light of day again. That is a good thing, for not just our community. That’s a good thing for our country,” Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton of Alabama said.
Ms White, the assistant director of corrections for the jail in Lauderdale County, allegedly helped plan Mr White’s escape. The pair are not related.
She had fooled co-workers that she was taking the inmate for a mental health evaluation, but instead the pair fled sparking a widespread search.
The car they took off in was later found abandoned in Tennessee, but there was no trace of the pair until US Marshals received a tip-off that CCTV photos from an Evansville car wash showed a man who closely resembled 6ft 9″ Mr White.
White stands 6 feet, 9 inches (2.06 meters) tall and weighs about 260 pounds (118 kilograms).
On Monday, officials learned that the pair were still in the area. As officers arrived, the pair fled in a vehicle. According to Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding, US Marshals collided with them “to try to end the pursuit”.
Mr White had been serving a 75-year sentence for a string of crimes that included attempted murder, robbery and burglary.
He was facing a further charge of murder over the stabbing of a 58-year-old woman.