Man Who Spent 37 Days In Jail For Posting A Charlie Kirk Meme Has Been Awarded $835,000
A Tennessee man who was held in jail for more than a month after police arrested him over a meme he posted on Facebook has settled an “unlawful incarceration” lawsuit for $835,000.
Retired cop Larry Bushart, 61, committed the mortal sin of sharing a meme which referenced a vigil to Charlie Kirk shortly after he died. The meme was captioned “this seems relevant today” and included a photo of Trump saying “we have to get over it” regarding the Perry High School shooting in Des Moines, Iowa…
That’s it. That’s literally the meme.
The next day, four officers showed up to Bushart’s home, arrested him, and took him to jail for “threatening mass violence at a school.” Wait, what?
Well, you see, because the post contained the word “Perry” and a reference to a school shooting, local authorities determined that it constituted a threat against the local Perry County High School. They looked at that meme and thought Larry Bushart, a former police officer himself, was threatening to shoot up a school!
The court imposed an extraordinarily high $2 million bond, which Larry could not pay, meaning he spent 37 days in jail before public pressure and legal intervention forced prosecutors to drop all charges.
By that time, he had lost his post-retirement job providing medical transport, missed his wedding anniversary, and missed the birth of his granddaughter. How fvcked up is that?
Naturally, Bushart filed a lawsuit against Perry County, Sheriff Nick Weems, and a county investigator, asserting that his arrest was a blatant, politically motivated retaliation that violated his rights to freedom of speech.
Indeed – it sounds like freedom of speech in the U.S. doesn’t apply you hurt MAGA’s feelings, and Tennessee is certainly a MAGA stronghold.
According to the news, Bushart has now been paid $835,000 to drop the lawsuit, though that sum will be covered entirely by Perry County’s insurer rather than out-of-pocket by the individuals who took away 37 days of his life for no reason. The idiot sheriff will not be held accountable!
Well anyway, it sucks that Bushart lost his job and missed both his anniversary and the birth of his grandaughter, but $835,000 for 37 days in prison? That’s a pretty sweet deal if you ask me. Still, very annoying that this could happen in the first place and even worse that heads won’t roll for it.