Why would Vicky White help a prisoner escape? Ask Toby Dorr

(NewsNation) — The search for Vicky White and Casey White, and their eventual capture, captivated the nation. And while many have been left baffled by the motivations in this case, Toby Dorr knows exactly how it can happen.

In 2006, Dorr, previously known as Toby Young, did the same thing.

At the time, she was married and running a volunteer dog training program at a state prison in Kansas.

That’s where she met John Manard, who was serving a life sentence for a deadly carjacking. 

“You’re at a point in your life where you just feel invisible, and you feel broken, and you feel so alone and lonely,” Dorr said. “When somebody notices, common sense just goes right out the door.”

She got Manard out of prison in a dog crate, and they went on the run, hoping to create a life together.

While Dorr says she is confident the two were in love, things began to change outside of prison walls. 

“He had a pretty quick temper, and he’d get mad about stuff,” Dorr said. “It made me start to think, ‘Well, this might not have been the best decision.’”

Dorr and Manard lived in a cabin in Tennessee for most of their 12 days on the run. But their freedom came to an end when law enforcement spotted them.

A high speed chase followed, topping 100 miles per hour. It ended when the couple smashed into a tree.

Vicky and Casey White have a similar story to Dorr: They were captured after wrecking their car during a wreck after 11 days on the run.

“I wasn’t ready for it to be over yet.” Dorr said. “My initial thoughts, the first few days after I was arrested is … how am I in jail? How did I get to this point in my life?”

After serving 27 months behind bars for aiding the escape, Dorr remarried and rehabilitated her life.

Dorr was concerned for Vicky White’s well being while they were on the run. White, a corrections officer in Alabama, is believed to have helped Casey White escape prison April 29. Vicky White died after a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“It sounds like she’s been an outstanding employee and outstanding member of her community,” Dorr said. “You need to look at everything as a collective, and not just judge someone by their worst mistake.”