Overview
- Larry Bushart’s charges were dismissed by a nolle prosequi filing from District Attorney General Hans L. Schwendimann, and a release order followed, officials confirmed.
- Bushart was arrested in late September and charged with threatening mass violence at a school, with his bond set at $2 million and a preliminary hearing previously slated for December 4.
- The post at issue matched a widely circulated 2024 meme quoting President Donald Trump saying “We have to get over it” after the Perry, Iowa school shooting, to which Bushart added, “This seems relevant today.”
- Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems argued the post led local teachers, parents, and students to fear a school attack, while Lexington police disputed Weems’s claim that their department helped seek a de-escalation before the arrest.
- Legal commentators, including Jonathan Turley and writers at the Cato Institute, said the cited messages appeared to be protected political speech, and the sheriff reported his office received threatening calls related to the case.