A retired Tennessee law enforcement officer who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made after the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has agreed to a $835,000 settlement with Perry County.

Collin Rugg reported that Larry Bushart, a 61-year-old former police officer from Perry County, was arrested in September 2025 and incarcerated for 37 days after posting a meme featuring the text “We have to get over it” next to an image of President Donald Trump.

“He was originally charged with threatening mass violence, but the district attorney declined to pursue the charges. Bushart will now receive $835,000 from the county in exchange for dismissing his complaint,” Rugg stated.

Bushart’s case stands out as a rare instance in which online speech led to criminal prosecution following Charlie Kirk’s death. During his incarceration, the retired officer lost his postretirement job and missed his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter, according to a federal lawsuit he filed against Perry County, its sheriff, and the investigator who obtained the arrest warrant.

“I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated,” Bushart stated in an announcement of the settlement. “The people’s freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy.”

Perry County Mayor John Carroll did not respond to requests for comment.

Bushart was arrested after refusing to remove Facebook memes that joked about Kirk’s killing, which had prompted a candlelight vigil in his county. The meme he posted read: “This seems relevant today…” and included Trump’s quote from 2024 regarding a school shooting at Iowa’s Perry High School.

Adam Steinbaugh, a senior attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said: “No one should be hauled off to jail in the dark of night over a harmless meme just because authorities disagree with its message.”

Bushart filed a federal lawsuit against Nick Weems, Perry County’s sheriff, alleging that the department willfully misinterpreted his Facebook post as threatening violence and infringed on his constitutional rights. The settlement was reached with the county government and Sheriff Weems, who did not respond to requests for comment.

In an interview last year after his release, Bushart described himself as a “Facebook warrior” who relished confronting others online over political opinions. He jumped into social media discussions following Kirk’s death at a university event in Utah, where he noticed a local group organizing a prayer vigil and shared memes to promote it.