A Tennessee man spent 37 days in jail for sharing a Charlie Kirk meme, lost his job and missed his grandchild’s birth, just walked away with $835,000

A Tennessee man has officially secured an $835,000 settlement after spending 37 days behind bars for sharing a meme about political commentator Charlie Kirk. Larry Bushart, a 61-year-old retired law enforcement officer living in Perry County, Tennessee, found himself at the center of a legal ordeal that cost him his post-retirement job and kept him from witnessing the birth of his grandchild. The story gained traction when reported by LADbible, drawing attention to how a single social media post set off a chain of consequences that would take months to unravel.

The incident began in the weeks following Kirk’s death. Kirk, known for founding the Turning Point USA organization and for his close ties to President Donald Trump, was shot and killed on September 10 of last year, with a man named Tyler Robinson eventually arrested and charged with the killing. Shortly after a major memorial service held in his honor, Bushart shared a meme online featuring a quote from Trump that had originally been made in response to a 2024 school shooting in Perry, Iowa, in which Trump stated that we have to get over it. Bushart added the comment “seems relevant today” while referencing a vigil for Kirk.

The following day, officers from the Perry County Sheriff’s Office arrived at Bushart’s home and arrested him on charges of threatening mass violence at a school. Sheriff Nick Weems claimed that local residents were alarmed because the school in Perry, Iowa, mentioned in the original quote shared the same name as a school in Perry, Tennessee. Although the sheriff reportedly acknowledged that the meme was referencing the Iowa situation, he maintained that residents in Tennessee had interpreted the post as a direct threat to their community.

The evidence against Bushart never actually existed

Bushart was unable to pay a $2 million bond, which kept him in jail for over a month. In those 37 days, he lost his job and missed the birth of his grandchild. When he eventually filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful arrest, wrongful prosecution, and wrongful incarceration, his legal team argued that the Perry County Sheriff’s Office could not produce any records showing that a single person had actually interpreted his post as a genuine threat.

The local school district confirmed it held no records at all regarding Bushart or the specific post in question. Amid broader tensions over government overreach and civil liberties, the Trump administration sued Minnesota after the state passed a bill to outlaw predatory prediction markets. The American Civil Liberties Union has long argued that freedom of expression remains the foundation of a healthy democracy and that even misunderstood speech must be protected from government overreach.

Following the settlement, Bushart released a statement expressing relief that the matter had finally reached a conclusion. “I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated,” he said. “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.” His statement came amid wider political accountability discussions, including fallout within the Republican Party over the Epstein Files and Massie’s primary loss.

Bushart walked away with $835,000 in the settlement.