Retired cop jailed for Charlie Kirk meme wins $835,000 settlement
A retired Tennessee law enforcement officer was jailed for 37 days over sharing a meme on Facebook regarding the Charlie Kirk assassination.
Larry Bushart settled the lawsuit for $835,000, dropping the lawsuit against Perry County, Sheriff Nick Weems, and investigator Jason Marrow under the deal announced on Wednesday, May 20.
The authorities agreed that there was no wrongdoing and agreed that the county insurer would pay the settlement.
Bushart was arrested in September, 10 days after the assassination of a political activist during an event at Utah Valley University.
The meme featured a photo of President Donald Trump with the quote: “We have to get over it.” The meme context originated from Trump’s statement in 2024 after a school shooting at Perry High School in Des Moines, Iowa.
Bushart added a caption while sharing the meme: “This seems relevant today.”
It was reported that the posting was seen as threatening the Perry County High School in Tennessee. Officers came to Bushart’s residence the following day and arrested him under charges of “threatening mass violence at a school”.
Since Bushart could not afford a bail of two million dollars, he stayed in jail for thirty-seven days before the case against him was withdrawn by the District Attorney in late October.
On settlement, Bushaart said: “I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated. The people’s freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy.”
