Larry Bushart, Tennessee Man Spent Who 37 Days in Jail for a Charlie Kirk Meme, Just Won $835K in Court

A Facebook post turned into a legal nightmare, and now a major financial payout, for Larry Bushart, a retired Tennessee law enforcement officer who spent 37 days in jail after sharing a meme referencing the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Years later, a settlement of $835,000 (roughly £621,000) has brought Bushart's case back into national attention, reignited debates over free speech and how far authorities can go in interpreting online content.

Bushart, 61, was arrested in September 2025 after refusing to delete posts he shared online during a period of heightened political tension following Kirk's assassination.

Officials in Perry County interpreted one meme that features a US President Donald Trump quote about a past school shooting as potentially threatening to a local school, despite referencing an unrelated incident in a different state.

Arrest Sparked by a Meme

The post that led to Bushart's arrest included an image of Trump alongside the caption 'This seems relevant today...,' referencing comments made after a 2024 school shooting in Iowa. Law enforcement later claimed some residents feared the message was connected to a nearby high school with a similar name, leading to concerns of a possible threat, per The Guardian.

Bushart was charged with threatening mass violence and held on a $2 million (approximately £1.5 million) bond, which he could not afford. He remained in jail for 37 days before the charge was eventually dropped the following month, October of 2025.

According to the lawsuit, Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems argued that some residents could have misread the meme as a threat directed at Perry County High School, even when it actually referenced Perry High School in Iowa, where a 2024 school shooting took place.

In an interview, Weems said the post sparked fear among parents who were 'scared to send their kids to school,' adding that Bushart was believed to have been fully aware of the fear the post would cause but wanted to spark a frenzy. 'Investigators believe Bushart was fully aware of the fear his post would cause and intentionally sought to create hysteria within the community,' Weems told a news outlet.

Bushart and his legal team strongly rejected this interpretation, arguing that he had no reason to believe anyone would see the meme as a threat. The defence wrote that 'he had no inkling or reason to think that anyone would take it as a threat of violence,' claiming that the sheriff and the county 'have produced no evidence that any person interpreted the Meme as a threat.'

Personal & Professional Impact of Incarceration

During his incarceration, Bushart's personal and professional life unraveled. He reportedly lost his post-retirement job in medical transport and missed significant family milestones, including events that could not be recovered even after he was released.

In December, Bushart, backed by the non-profit organisation called the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), sued Perry County, Sheriff Nick Weems, and investigator Jason Morrow for the alleged violation of Bushart's first and fourth amendment rights.

The law enforcement officials, later turned defendants, defended their actions at the time, arguing that the post created fear in the community even if it was later acknowledged that the meme referenced an out-of-state incident.

The $835,000 Settlement

This week, Bushart's legal battle reached a resolution. Multiple reports state that a settlement of $835,000 (about £621,000) was reached to resolve the civil lawsuit, ending the legal dispute without proceeding to trial.

On Wednesday, Bushart issued a statement following the settlement. He 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. I am looking forward to moving on and spending time with my family.'