Tennessee Officials Pay $835,000 Settlement Over Man Jailed for Facebook Post

Tennessee officials will pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The 61-year-old retired police officer spent 37 days behind bars before authorities dropped the felony charge against him in October.

During his time in jail, he lost his post-retirement job and missed his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter.

The man was arrested in September after he refused to take down Facebook memes that joked about Kirk's killing. " That quote, the meme explained, was said by Trump in 2024 after a school shooting at Iowa's Perry High School. Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems told news outlets that most of the man's "hate memes" were lawful free speech, but residents were alarmed by the school shooting post.

"Investigators believe Bushart was fully aware of the fear his post would cause and intentionally sought to create hysteria within the community," Weems said in a statement to The Tennessean last year.

"I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated," the man said in a statement announcing the settlement Wednesday. "The people's freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy. " His bail was set at $2 million before he was released as the case drew national attention.

The settlement will help ensure that the man and his wife have a comfortable retirement. "No one should be hauled off to jail in the dark of night over a harmless meme just because the authorities disagree with its message," said a senior attorney for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which helped represent the man.

"It's in times of turmoil and heightened tensions that our national commitment to free speech is tested the most," said an attorney for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which helped represent the man.