Late Monday afternoon, the 11-day search for the two Alabama fugitives came to an end in Evansville, Indiana.
During their 11 days on the run, police received hundreds of tips, but it was one tip by an observant car wash employee that may have led officials to the former corrections officer and escaped inmate.
James Stinson, the manager of Weinbach Car Wash, first noticed an abandoned 2006 Ford F-150 on May 3.
“Every time, I’d leave, it was still there, still there, and I noticed that something’s going on with it. It’s unusual,” he told WEHT.
The following day he walked up to the truck to investigate.
“I walked up to the truck. The windows are down. The doors are unlocked. My first thought — ‘Oh my God. This could be this guy from Alabama.’ I was kind of afraid he might be passed out, asleep, overdosed, shot. I looked in the truck. Nobody’s in the truck.”
Stinson decided to contact the authorities, and while a police officer came to the scene, there was nothing they could do. The truck hadn’t been reported stolen.
The officer left, but Stinson insisted they do something more. So they returned and took a second look at the truck. This time they found a gun lock inside the vehicle, but no firearms. But still, there was nothing the officer could do.
So Stinson had the vehicle towed, and that was that.
Or so he thought.
Four days later Stinson received a call from the U.S. Marshal Service. They confirmed the truck that had been towed from the car wash was connected to the fugitives.
Stinson reviewed the car wash’s security footage and saw both Casey White and Vicky White – not related – on the property.
Marshals arrived the following morning, and just hours later Casey and Vicky were spotted near the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office. The fugitives led officials on a short chase before their vehicle crashed in a ditch.
Vicky was found inside the vehicle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. She was transported to the hospital where she later died from her injuries. Casey, who was injured in the crash, was also taken to the hospital.
“I’m just glad it’s over and nobody got hurt. I was more concerned about one person trying to confront them. It took a team, and I’m glad it ended this way,” Stinson said.
While the U.S. Marshals Service said there would be a $25,000 reward for information leading to the fugitives’ arrest, it’s unclear if Stinson will get the money.
What is clear is that when every day citizens speak up, they are able to help keep our communities safe.
“Thank you, James. You are a key player in getting a violent criminal off the streets. In cases like this, it’s often our citizens who solve them for us,” Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said.
This is an excellent reminder about speaking up when we see something out of the ordinary!
Please share this on Facebook.