'VINDICATED'

Retired Cop Gets Massive Settlement After Being Jailed Over Charlie Kirk Post

The retired police officer spent 37 days in jail last fall.

Tennessee officials agreed to pay $835,000 to a 61-year-old man in a settlement over his arrest for a Facebook post about Charlie Kirk. Larry Bushart spent 37 days in jail last fall after he posted a photo of Donald Trump on Facebook, alongside the quote, “We have to get over it,” which referenced a statement by the president following a school shooting in 2024 at Perry High School in Iowa. Bushart captioned the post, shared on the day of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, “This seems relevant today…” Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems arrested Bushart and alleged that the 61-year-old was threatening a local school, named Perry County High School. The felony charge was dropped in October. The retired police officer claimed in his lawsuit that while he was jailed, he lost his post-retirement job as well as missed his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter. “I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated,” Bushart said in a statement on Wednesday. “The people’s 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.”