Friend of Charleston church shooter gets new sentencing date

CHARLESTON, S.C. — A new sentencing hearing has been set for a man who police say failed to warn authorities about his friend’s plans to kill black worshippers at a Charleston church.

Court records show 22-year-old Joey Meek is due in court March 21. Meek has pleaded guilty to failing to report Dylann Roof’s plans and lying to federal authorities.

Prosecutors sought a stiff sentence for Meek. They argued his failure to tell authorities about Roof’s plans to start a race war by killing black churchgoers prevented police from possibly thwarting the massacre.

But a judge on Monday ruled Meek can only be sentenced for what he did after the June 2015 slayings of nine parishioners at Emanuel AME, not before. Federal guidelines allow for a sentence of from 27 to 33 months.