Jailed for a Month Over Remark Quoting Trump, Poster Is Freed

The prosecution of a retired law enforcement officer who spent more than a month in a Tennessee jail over a social media post referencing President Trump has been dropped.

Larry Bushart, a resident of Lexington, roughly 45 minutes from Perry County, was arrested in September after sharing a meme on Facebook about political activist Charlie Kirk’s death. The meme, originally created by gun safety group Everytown, paired a photo of President Trump with the words, “We have to get over it”—a remark Trump made after a mass shooting at Perry High School in Iowa earlier this year. Bushart added the caption, “This seems relevant today,” according to the New York Times.

Authorities in Perry County said some residents interpreted the post as a potential threat to Perry County High School and contacted the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Nick Weems later acknowledged in an interview with WTVF that Bushart’s post contained no actual threat and had been circulating online for some time in reference to the Iowa shooting. “We knew,” Weems said. “The public did not know.”

Bushart was arrested after he refused to remove the post. The arrest was supported by the district attorney and a judicial commissioner at the time, according to Weems. Four officers reportedly went to Bushart’s home after 11 p.m. with the warrant, The Intercept reported.

Weems also noted the broader context, referencing Kirk’s death in September: “Evil could be your neighbor,” the sheriff wrote. “Evil could be standing right beside you in the grocery store. It could be your own family member and you never even know it.”

Following review, prosecutors decided to drop all charges against Bushart, ending the case without a conviction.

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