A former officer had filed in federal court claiming wrongful prosecution and violation of his right to free speech after a Facebook meme led to his arrest.
PERRY COUNTY, Tennessee — A retired Tennessee police officer jailed over a Facebook post related to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is now suing.
Larry Bushart, 61, filed a 30-page lawsuit Wednesday in Tennessee federal court, claiming he was unlawfully prosecuted over a meme and that his free speech rights were violated. Bushart says he was targeted for simply speaking his mind.
Following Kirk’s assassination, Bushart shared a meme about a Tennessee vigil for Kirk. The meme included the line “This seems relevant today” and a quote Donald Trump made as a candidate in 2024 following a school shooting in Des Moines, Iowa.
Trump is quoted in the meme saying, “We have to get over it.”
Bushart was arrested the next day for allegedly threatening mass violence at an area school with a similar name as the Iowa school.
Bushart spent 37 days behind bars because he was unable to post a $2 million bond. In October, authorities dropped the charge against him and he was released.
His lawsuit names Perry County, the county’s sheriff and a county investigator involved in the probe. Perry County is located about a 90-minute drive southwest from Nashville.
Bushart is seeking both monetary and punitive damages.