PERRY COUNTY, Tennessee — Tennessee officials have agreed to pay $835,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a retired police officer who was jailed for more than a month after posting Facebook memes regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Larry Bushart, 61, spent 37 days in custody before authorities dropped a felony charge against him in October. Bushart filed the lawsuit in December against Perry County, Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems, and the investigator who obtained his arrest warrant, alleging violations of his First Amendment rights.
The incident began in September after Bushart refused to remove social media memes that joked about the killing of Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, who was fatally shot at a Utah college. The death had prompted localized grief and a candlelight vigil in Perry County.
The specific post that prompted the arrest included the caption, “This seems relevant today…” alongside an image of Donald Trump and the quote, “We have to get over it.” The meme noted that the quote was delivered by Trump following a 2024 school shooting at Perry High School in Iowa.
Sheriff Weems previously stated to news outlets that while most of Bushart’s posts constituted protected free speech, residents were alarmed by the school shooting reference. Weems alleged that Bushart intended to cause community hysteria, despite acknowledging that investigators knew the meme explicitly referenced an Iowa school rather than the local Perry County High School.
Bushart’s bail was initially set at $2 million before the charge was dropped and he was released. According to the lawsuit, during his 37 days in jail, Bushart lost his post-retirement employment, missed his wedding anniversary, and was absent for the birth of his granddaughter.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression helped represent Bushart in the legal action. Perry County Mayor John Carroll did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the settlement.
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