Calhoun County, AL – The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office announced a significant development in the 2022 kidnapping case involving Tony Lamar White. On August 9, 2024, Judge Burgess sentenced White to 198 years in prison following his ‘open’ guilty plea to charges of Burglary 1st, Kidnapping 1st, Rape 1st, and Sodomy 1st.
The case dates back to July 4, 2022, when deputies responded to a report of a missing elderly woman in the Choccolocco community. Initial evidence indicated a struggle at the scene, leading authorities to identify Tony Lamar White as a suspect. Within hours of the report, the victim was found bound in a closet at a residence in Anniston. White had fled the scene, but was apprehended the following day in Kentucky and brought back to Calhoun County Jail. Subsequent DNA evidence linked White to several other similar crimes.
An ‘open’ guilty plea, which White entered on June 11, 2024, is a rare legal maneuver that means the defendant admits guilt without a plea deal or agreement with prosecutors. This plea spared the victim from a lengthy trial process, thanks to the efforts of District Attorney Lynn Hammonds and her team.
Sheriff Matthew Wade expressed hope that the lengthy sentence would ensure White remains out of society, acknowledging that while no sentence can fully address the severity of the crimes committed, it serves as a measure of justice for the community.
