Overview
- Larry Bushart, 61, was released Wednesday after prosecutors filed a nolle prosequi, ending a felony case that kept him jailed for more than a month on a $2 million bond.
- The charge stemmed from a Facebook meme quoting President Donald Trump saying “We have to get over it” after a 2024 Perry, Iowa school shooting, which Bushart posted with “This seems relevant today” in a local group about a Charlie Kirk vigil.
- Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems said investigators acted because residents feared a threat to Perry County High School and because Bushart refused to delete the post, though he acknowledged the meme referenced Iowa.
- Body‑camera footage obtained by local media showed a Lexington officer expressing uncertainty about the concern and not mentioning a school, undercutting the sheriff’s explanation of the initial contact.
- The case relied on a 2024 state law criminalizing recklessly making a threat of mass violence, drawing criticism from civil‑liberties groups who argued the post was protected speech; officials have not said why the charge was dropped, and Bushart lost his medical transport job during detention.