EXPLAINER: Not unusual for ex-cop to report later for prison

By STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The federal judge who sentenced Thomas Lane to 2 1/2 years in prison on a civil rights charge in the killing of George Floyd says the former Minneapolis police officer won’t have to surrender until after his sentencing in a separate case in two months. Legal experts say that’s not unusual, even in an emotionally charged case like this. Floyd’s death under the knee of former Officer Derek Chauvin in 2020 sparked protests around the world. But legal experts say it’s not unusual that a federal judge would give a less culpable defendant like Lane time to report to prison, particularly when they’re not a flight risk or danger to the public.