A former police officer in Tennessee has been arrested and charged with making “threats of mass violence” after allegedly posting a meme in a Facebook group organizing a vigil for slain conservative activist
Charlie Kirk.
Authorities say 61-year-old Larry Bushart Jr. of Lexington was taken into custody on September 22 after sharing an image in the comments section of a Perry County community page. The meme featured a photo of
Donald Trump alongside the quote, “We have to get over it,” referring to remarks he made a day after the 2024 mass shooting at Perry High School in Iowa. Text on the image read, “This seems relevant today.”
Members of the Facebook group interpreted the post as a threat to their own Perry County High School, prompting alarm among parents and teachers. Sheriff Nick Weems told The Tennessean that Bushart appeared to intentionally make the audience believe he was referring to a potential local school shooting, US mirror reported.
“We believe Bushart was fully aware of the fear his post would cause and intentionally sought to create hysteria within the community,” Weems said.
Bushart, a retired police and corrections officer with the Huntingdon Police Department, was charged with making threats of mass violence on school property. The sheriff’s office emphasized that all school-related threats are investigated thoroughly.
“Creating mass hysteria in our community will not be tolerated,” Weems said in a statement.
How the incident unfolded?
Larry Bushart Jr, politically, stood apart from many of his neighbors. Online, he was outspoken and combative, often directing his strongest views at supporters of former President Donald Trump. On Facebook, he denounced Trump and his followers as cult-like, clashed with vaccine skeptics, and argued with election deniers. As Trump’s second term grew more turbulent, Bushart shared memes criticizing what he saw as the president’s authoritarian behavior, Intercept reported.
After conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed on September 10, Bushart began posting repeatedly about the reaction to Kirk’s death, arguing that he should not be celebrated and warning of mounting threats to free speech.
Bushart posts provoking memes against Kash Patel
On the morning of the local vigil for Kirk in Linden — a small town about 45 minutes from Bushart’s home — he turned to a Facebook group called
What’s Happening in Perry County. There, he posted a series of provocative memes mocking Kirk and right-wing figures. One used a scene from
The Sopranos where Tony Soprano dismisses Kirk’s death; another depicted former Trump aide Kash Patel as a Viking after his “See you at Valhalla” remark. The most graphic meme appeared to reference the shooting itself with the caption, “Release the Epstein Files.”
Yet it was a far milder post that would later land Bushart in legal trouble. He reposted a meme featuring Donald Trump and the quote, “We have to get over it,” taken from the former president’s comments following a January 2024 school shooting in Perry, Iowa. Below the image was the note: “Donald Trump, on the Perry High School mass shooting, one day after.” Bushart added the caption, “Seems relevant today.”
How Bushart was arrested?
Sheriff Nick Weems, who had personally shared details of the Charlie Kirk vigil online, took notice of Larry Bushart’s controversial Facebook memes on Sunday evening. After alerting investigators, local police visited Bushart, prompting him to post about the encounter. Unfazed, he continued sharing political memes until officers returned hours later with an arrest warrant from Perry County. Body camera footage shows Bushart being calmly taken into custody, confused when told he was charged with “threatening mass violence at a school.” Despite the seriousness of the charge, both Bushart and one officer joked about the situation — with Bushart quipping that he’d moved from “Facebook jail” to the real thing.
Bushart was booked into the Perry County Jail in Linden around 2 a.m. on September 22 and has remained there since. His bail was set at $2 million—an amount far beyond his means. Under Tennessee law, he would need to post at least $210,000 to be released. His attorney has filed a motion to reduce bail, arguing that Bushart poses no flight risk or threat to the public, but prosecutors requested a delay. His next court hearing is now scheduled for December 4.
Son calls prosecution 'egregious violation'
Bushart’s son spoke out in his father’s defense on social media, condemning the charges as “an egregious violation of his First Amendment rights.” He explained that the meme at the center of the case was intended to highlight “the hypocrisy in honoring Charlie Kirk while ignoring other tragic incidents of mass violence.”
With no resolution in sight, Bushart now faces the likelihood of spending Thanksgiving behind bars. On Tuesday, supporters launched a
Justice for Larry Bushart campaign on GiveSendGo to help cover his legal expenses. “This isn’t just for Larry; this is a stand against overzealous law enforcement acting on skewed interpretations of free speech,” the page reads. “Remember: today it’s someone else; tomorrow it could be you or me.”
Is there no freedom of speech in Trump's America?
Bushart is not the only case in the US where a freedom of speech has been curtailed. Remember: Colbert, Kimmel whose late night shows were cancelled.
In mid-2025, several major media companies quietly chose settlements and concessions that could be argued as the starter pack for setting the conditions for later editorial restrictions. We’ve got a list.
This reminds me of McAvoy’s three-minute rant where he was asked about why America is considered the greatest country in the world?