1. No violation. If you notice, every free throw shooter that's anywhere near the free throw line dribbles the ball in the lane...
2. If an official by chance catches the ball, I would say drop it and play on. There is nothing in the rules that say blow it dead and go to the POI. Best case scenario, just bat the ball down and note your location. If you're inbounds, then play on. Otherwise, you're out of bounds, and so is the ball. If the defense benefits, that'll teach the offense not to pass it to the stripes!
