Larry Bushart, a former Huntingdon Police officer jailed after posting a photo tied to Charlie Kirk’s killing, reached a $835,000 federal settlement after a dispute over whether a bullet autopsy connected evidence. The agreement dismisses his civil rights comp
When Larry Bushart was arrested and held on $2 million bail. he said the punishment didn’t just land in a courtroom—it upended his life. According to his lawyers. the incarceration cost him his job in medical transportation. made him miss his anniversary. and kept him from being present for the birth of his grandchild.
Now. a legal fight that drew national attention in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination has ended in a settlement: Bushart will receive $835. 000 after agreeing to dismiss his federal civil rights complaint. The terms were announced as a resolution of his lawsuit. and the agreement does not include any admission of wrongdoing by the defendants.
Bushart is a former police officer with the Huntingdon Police Department. He was arrested on Sept. 22 and charged with making threats of mass violence on school property and activities after posting a photo of a President Donald Trump quote in the Facebook comments of a Perry County community group page.
That post came hours after Kirk’s Sept. 10 killing. The picture depicted Trump saying, “We have to get over it,” a quote Bushart shared alongside a reference to the president’s words after a January 2024 school shooting in Perry, Iowa, that left one dead and seven wounded.
According to Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems, the post was meant to create fear about a hypothetical attack. Weems told a reporter that Bushart posted the picture “to indicate or make the audience think it was referencing our Perry High School.” He added that teachers. parents. and students concluded it was about a shooting at their school. and “numerous reached out in concern.”.
Bushart was released on Oct. 29 after community members and state officials pushed back, and the district attorney dropped all charges.
The criminal case didn’t end the dispute. In December, Bushart filed a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing Perry County, Sheriff Weems, and Sheriff’s Investigator Jason Morrow of violating his First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights.
On May 20, the case reached settlement, according to a news release by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which represented Bushart. In a joint statement, the parties said Bushart will receive $835,000 in exchange for dismissing his complaint.
In the statement, Bushart said: “I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated.” He added, “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.”
FIRE senior attorney Adam Steinbaugh said the outcome compensates Bushart for what he called an injustice. “No one should be hauled off to jail in the dark of night over a harmless meme just because the authorities disagree with its message. ” Steinbaugh said. “We’re pleased that Larry has been compensated for this injustice. but local law enforcement never should have forced him to endure this ordeal in the first place.”.
The dispute has also had an evidence thread that remains unresolved in the public framing: attorneys for the man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk said a federal agency did not connect the bullet autopsy to the alleged murder weapon.
The settlement doesn’t directly answer the competing interpretations that drove the initial arrest. In filings responding to Bushart, the defendants denied that his speech was protected by the First Amendment. They also said that even if the sheriff’s department violated his constitutional rights. officers would have no way of knowing.
Before his arrest, the photo had been shared broadly across social media. A cross-referencing of the image found it posted numerous times across multiple social media platforms not connected with Bushart going back to 2024.
Bushart’s lawsuit also asserted that Perry County and Weems refused to respond to multiple public records requests that sought information about the public reaction to his statements. Steinbaugh said he previously made a series of records requests with Perry County Schools asking for communications that would better match the level of hysteria Weems said the post caused. According to Steinbaugh, there were none. The school responded that “the sheriff handled that case and there are no records.”.
The settlement ends a legal fight that captured headlines nationwide, as the country watched how free-speech questions played out after Kirk’s death and a subsequent wave of First Amendment lawsuits tied to online commentary.
Only one other Tennessee First Amendment case represented by FIRE remains in that aftermath. It involves Monica Meeks. a former employee of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and a state representative candidate. who was fired after responding to a friend’s social media posts about Kirk.
FIRE staff attorney Cary Davis framed Bushart’s resolution as part of a wider test of constitutional principles under pressure. “It’s in times of turmoil and heightened tensions that our national commitment to free speech is tested the most. ” Davis said. “When government officials fail that test, the Constitution exists to hold them accountable. Our hope is that (Bushart’s) settlement sends a message to law enforcement across the country: Respect the First Amendment today. or be prepared to pay the price tomorrow.”.
The Perry County Sheriff’s office did not respond in the available reporting, as the coverage noted the sheriff’s office was reached out to for comment.
For FIRE. the monetary settlement closes the case—but the controversy it grew out of is bigger than a single arrest. It’s a reminder of how quickly online speech can trigger law enforcement action. and how hard it can be to unwind that kind of disruption once a community has already been told what to fear.
Larry Bushart Perry County Nick Weems Jason Morrow Charlie Kirk First Amendment Fourth Amendment federal settlement Huntingdon Police Department Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression FIRE