{"id":241579,"date":"2026-05-21T17:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T17:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/21\/retired-police-officer-jailed-for-posting-charlie-kirk-meme-receives-6-figure-settlement\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T17:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T17:54:15","slug":"retired-police-officer-jailed-for-posting-charlie-kirk-meme-receives-6-figure-settlement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/21\/retired-police-officer-jailed-for-posting-charlie-kirk-meme-receives-6-figure-settlement\/","title":{"rendered":"Retired Police Officer Jailed For Posting Charlie Kirk Meme Receives 6-Figure Settlement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Charlie Kirk prided himself on being a free speech absolutist.<\/p>\n<p>But in the months since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/05\/erika-kirk-wishes-late-husband-charlie-kirk-a-happy-anniversary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kirk was shot and killed<\/a>, many of his most ardent supporters have lashed out at and demanded consequences for those who dared to criticize the slain podcast host and activist.<\/p>\n<p>Larry Bushart, a 61-year-old retired police officer from Tennessee, even suffered legal ramifications, spending 37 days behind bars due to a Facebook post about Kirk.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2162039798-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk is seen onstage at the Fiserv Forum during preparations for the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Delegates, politicians, and the Republican faithful are arriving in Milwaukee for the annual convention, concluding with former President Donald Trump accepting his party's presidential nomination. The RNC takes place from July 15-18. \" class=\"wp-image-555487 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2162039798-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2162039798-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2162039798-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2162039798-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2162039798-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2162039798-1080x720.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2162039798-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2162039798-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk is seen onstage at the Fiserv Forum during preparations for the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. <span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo by Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Now, Bushart has received an $835,000 settlement after filing a lawsuit against the county officials who locked him up.<\/p>\n<p>The case quickly became national news \u2014 and not just because of the unexpectedly high payout.<\/p>\n<p>Bushart was arrested in September 2025 after posting Facebook memes referencing Kirk\u2019s death, including one that reused a quote from President Donald Trump following a 2024 Iowa school shooting that read: \u201cWe have to get over it.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Authorities claimed one of the posts alarmed local residents, who feared it referenced a nearby school in Tennessee with a similar name.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsaw.com\/2026\/05\/20\/man-jailed-over-charlie-kirk-post-wins-835000-settlement\/?outputType=amp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">local media reports<\/a>, Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems later acknowledged he understood the meme referred to an Iowa school \u2014 not a local Tennessee one \u2014 but officials still moved forward with Bushart\u2019s arrest after claiming the posts created fear in the community. <\/p>\n<p>Bushart was charged with threatening mass violence and initially hit with a staggering $2 million bond.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TN man jailed for 37 days for sharing Charlie Kirk memes wins $835,000 settlement\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9uAgclhoXeI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>He ultimately spent more than a month in jail before prosecutors dropped the felony charge in October.<\/p>\n<p>During that time, Bushart says he lost his post-retirement job and missed major family moments, including his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter. <\/p>\n<p>Those claims later became part of the federal lawsuit he filed against Perry County, the sheriff, and the investigator who secured the arrest warrant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated,\u201d Bushart said in a statement after news of the settlement broke. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe people\u2019s freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy. I am looking forward to moving on and spending time with my family.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DYkvxdeBJcr\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"\/>\n<p>His legal team framed the case as a major constitutional issue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s in times of turmoil and heightened tensions that our national commitment to free speech is tested the most,\u201d attorney Cary Davis said, arguing that public officials crossed a dangerous line by treating protected speech like a criminal threat.<\/p>\n<p>While many people faced backlash or even job losses over comments related to Kirk\u2019s death, Bushart\u2019s situation stood out because it escalated into an actual criminal prosecution.<\/p>\n<p>Now, after more than a month in jail and a lengthy legal battle, he is receiving an $835,000 reminder that social media posts.<\/p>\n<p>And across social today, Bushart is being celebrated as a true free speech warrior.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/05\/retired-police-officer-jailed-for-posting-charlie-kirk-meme-receives-6-figure-settlement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 2 minutes Charlie Kirk prided himself on being a free speech absolutist. But in the months since Kirk was shot and killed, many of his most ardent supporters have lashed out at and demanded consequences for those who dared to criticize the slain podcast host and activist. Larry Bushart, a 61-year-old retired police [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":241581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-241579","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241579\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}