A Tennessee man who spent more than a month in prison over Facebook posts about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk will receive $835,000 after settling a lawsuit against local officials.Larry Bushart, 61, is a retired police officer and was jailed for 37 days before prosecutors dropped a felony charge related to social media memes he posted after Kirk’s death.Tennessee officials will now pay $835,000 to resolve the federal lawsuit Bushart filed against Perry County, the local police chief and the investigator involved in obtaining the arrest warrant.Bosshart said his time in custody had a personal and financial impact.
He lost his job after retirement, missed his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter while behind bars.“I am glad that my First Amendment rights were vindicated,” Bosshart said in a statement announcing the settlement on Wednesday.He added, “The freedom of people to engage in civil discourse is critical to a healthy democracy. I look forward to moving forward and spending time with my family.”
Bosshart was arrested in September after refusing to remove Facebook memes referencing Kirk’s killing, which sparked mourning among MAGA supporters for the conservative activist. Authorities said the posts caused concern in the local community.One meme shared by Bosshart showed an image of President Donald Trump along with the words, “We’ve got to get over this.” The image references Trump’s 2024 comments after the school shooting in Iowa.
The meme explained that the quote was submitted “one day after” the incident.Bosshart added the comment: “This seems appropriate today…”The controversy escalated after some residents misinterpreted the post as a potential threat to a local school with a similar name in Tennessee. Police later confirmed that the meme referred to a school shooting in Iowa, not the Tennessee school.Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems said at the time that most of Bushart’s posts were protected speech, but the specific meme had the community concerned.“Investigators believe that Bosshart was fully aware of the fear his position would cause and intentionally sought to create hysteria within the community,” Weems said in a statement to The Tennessean last year.Bosshart was initially held on $2 million bail before being released as the case attracted scrutiny over free speech protections.Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when a gunman fired a single sniper shot from a rooftop about 140 meters away, killing him during a public event. His wife, Erica Kirk, later made emotional public statements, while Turning Point USA continued operations after his death.
