Larry Bushart, a 61-year-old man from Lexington, Tennessee, spent 37 days in Perry County jail after posting memes following the death of right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk. He was arrested after sharing images in a Perry County, Tennessee, Facebook group, including a post pairing a Donald Trump quote about moving on after a school shooting with the caption “This seems relevant today.” The sheriff’s department said it received reports that his post caused fear and suggested he might plan an attack at Perry High School. Sheriff Nick Weems described the posts as “hate memes” but said they were not against the law and were recognized as free speech. Bushart later received a large cash settlement from his home county and called it a victory for free speech rights.
"Larry Bushart, a 61-year-old man from Lexington, Tennessee, spent 37 days in Perry County jail last fall following his arrest by the sheriff's department after he shared several memes on Kirk's murder."
"Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems called Bushart's Kirk posts " hate memes" that were nonetheless "not against the law and would be recognized as free speech.""
"Investigators believe Bushart was fully aware of the fear his post would cause and intentionally sought to create hysteria within the community," Sheriff Nick Weems said in a statement following Bushart's arrest."
"Bushart was arrested for posting an image of President Donald Trump with a quotation that read, "We have to get over it. - Donald Trump on the Perry High School mass shooting one day after." The remark was made by Trump earlier in 2025, following a school shooting in Perry, Iowa."
Read at Truthout
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