Larry Bushart, a 61-year-old former law enforcement officer from Tennessee, spent over five weeks in jail this fall for sharing a meme on Facebook—a case that has ignited a heated national debate about the boundaries of free speech, the power of law enforcement, and the reach of social media. The story, which quickly gained traction beyond Perry County, is now being cited by advocates and legal experts as a cautionary tale about the potential for vague threat laws to be wielded against protected expression.
Bushart’s ordeal began on September 22, 2025, when he was arrested and charged with threatening mass violence on school property. The charge stemmed from his comment on a Facebook post about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. In his post, Bushart shared a meme featuring former President Donald Trump and the words, "We have to get over it"—a quote Trump had used in January 2024 after a school shooting at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa. Bushart captioned the meme, "This seems relevant today," referencing the Iowa tragedy in the context of Kirk’s killing.
However, authorities in Perry County interpreted the meme as a potential threat to their own Perry County High School, despite the explicit mention of the Iowa shooting. Sheriff Nick Weems told local media that Bushart "was fully aware of the fear his post would cause and intentionally sought to create hysteria within the community." According to The Tennessean, Weems said that while most of Bushart’s "hate memes" were considered lawful free speech, this particular post alarmed parents and teachers, some of whom believed he was implying a local school attack.
The sheriff’s office acted swiftly. Bushart, who had previously served as a police officer in Huntingdon, Tennessee, was arrested after refusing to delete the post. His bond was set at a staggering $2 million—an amount that many legal observers and civil liberties advocates considered extraordinary for a social media post. As reported by USA Today, Bushart was incarcerated for more than a month, ultimately spending 37 days behind bars before his release on October 29, 2025.
During his time in jail, Bushart lost his job as a medical driver, adding a personal cost to the legal ordeal. Body camera footage from the arrest later showed Bushart joking with officers, remarking, "I’ve been in Facebook jail but now I’m really in it." The footage also revealed that officers themselves appeared uncertain about the precise nature of the alleged threat, a detail that undermined the sheriff’s assertion of clear and present danger.
As the case unfolded, it drew immediate and widespread criticism from free speech advocates. Adam Steinbaugh from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) said, "A free country does not dispatch police in the dead of night to pull people from their homes because a sheriff objects to their social media posts." Matthew Cavedon from the Cato Institute added, "Only true threats are exempt from the freedom of speech—not hyperbole and political bombast." According to The Washington Post, these advocates questioned whether Bushart’s meme posed any real danger, especially given the lack of evidence that his post had caused public panic in Perry County schools.
The local and national backlash was not limited to legal experts. Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones wrote to local authorities, criticizing what he called a "flagrant misuse of state law to suppress and compel speech." Supporters of Bushart quickly organized online, launching a Facebook page titled "Justice for Larry Bushart" to highlight concerns over how loosely written threat laws can criminalize protected expression. Their efforts echoed broader anxieties about the potential for authorities to weaponize such laws to silence dissent or unpopular viewpoints.
The controversy surrounding Bushart’s arrest was further fueled by the fact that, across the country, many individuals lost their jobs over social media comments about Charlie Kirk’s death, but Bushart’s case was one of the few where online speech led to criminal prosecution. As reported by The Guardian, free speech advocates argued that Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems had targeted Bushart because of his political views, raising uncomfortable questions about selective enforcement and the chilling effect on public discourse.
On October 29, 2025, the Perry County Circuit Court Clerk confirmed that the district attorney’s office had decided to drop the case. Neither Sheriff Weems nor District Attorney Hans Schwendimann provided immediate comment on the reasons for dismissing the charges. Bushart, upon his release, told local radio station WOPC-FM, "Very happy to be going home. I didn’t seek to be a media sensation, but here we are." His words captured the bewilderment and frustration felt by many who watched the case unfold.
Records later showed no evidence from Perry County schools that Bushart’s post had caused any actual panic. According to Newsweek, his attorney has since announced plans to sue the county, describing the episode as emblematic of a troubling national pattern in which authorities use vague threat laws to suppress speech. Similar cases under the same Tennessee statute have led to the arrests of students for online comments that were later deemed lawful—further fueling the debate about the statute’s reach and constitutionality.
The episode has prompted renewed scrutiny of how law enforcement, courts, and social media platforms navigate the complex intersection of free speech, public safety, and digital communication. Many legal scholars warn that the willingness to arrest and jail individuals over ambiguous online posts risks eroding fundamental First Amendment protections. As Adam Steinbaugh of FIRE put it, "We must be careful not to let fear drive us to criminalize speech that, while perhaps provocative or even offensive, falls short of a true threat."
For Bushart, the ordeal is not yet over. The loss of his job, the time spent in jail, and the lingering questions about his reputation and future have left a lasting mark. Yet, his case has also sparked a broader conversation about the limits of government power and the enduring importance of free expression in a democracy—even, or perhaps especially, when that expression makes people uncomfortable.
As the dust settles in Perry County, the story of Larry Bushart serves as a vivid reminder of the high stakes in America’s ongoing struggle to balance safety and liberty in the digital age.
