Overview
- Larry Bushart, 61, was released Wednesday after prosecutors filed a nolle prosequi on a felony count of threatening mass violence at a school under a 2024 Tennessee statute.
- The case stemmed from a Facebook post featuring President Donald Trump saying “We have to get over it,” which Bushart shared with the caption “This seems relevant today” in a group tied to a Charlie Kirk vigil.
- Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems acknowledged investigators knew the meme referenced a Perry, Iowa school shooting but said residents believed it targeted Perry County High School.
- Bodycam video showed a Lexington officer telling Bushart he had “really no idea” what the concern was, as Bushart refused to delete the post before his arrest on a $2 million bond.
- Bushart spent more than five weeks in jail and reportedly lost his medical transport job, while free‑speech advocates, including the Cato Institute, argued the arrest violated First Amendment protections.