Former deputy convicted of violated civil rights, obstruction of justice

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The Justice Department says a former sheriff’s deputy in central Kentucky has been convicted in federal court of violating the civil rights of people he arrested by using unnecessary force and obstructing justice because he tried to cover up his actions. An agency statement Tuesday says a jury in Lexington handed down the verdict for 31-year-old Tanner Abbott, who was a deputy for the Boyle County Sheriff’s Office during the violations over four months in 2021. The statement says the charges are related to him punching three people and searching a room without a warrant or consent.