Tennessee authorities have agreed to pay $835,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by Larry Bushart, a retired police officer who spent 37 days in jail after posting a satirical image on Facebook related to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The case attracted national attention as it became one of the few episodes in the United States where comments posted on social media led to criminal proceedings.

Bushart, 61, was arrested in September 2025 and charged with “threatening mass violence at a school” after refusing to remove several posts deemed offensive by local authorities.

The publication that triggered the arrest showed a photograph of President Donald Trump accompanied by the phrase “We have to get over it,” a comment Trump made after a school shooting that occurred at Perry High School, Iowa, in 2024. Bushart added the text: “This seems relevant today.”

However, some residents of Perry County, Tennessee, misinterpreted the meme as a threat against the local high school of the same name. Although the county sheriff, Nick Weems, later acknowledged that he knew the reference was to a school in Iowa, he maintained that Bushart “intentionally sought to create hysteria in the community.”

The former agent's bail was set at $2 million, a figure that his lawyers described as excessive and violating his constitutional rights. Unable to pay it, Bushart spent more than five weeks in prison before prosecutors dropped the charges in October 2025.

During his incarceration, Bushart lost the job he held after retiring, in addition to missing his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter, according to the lawsuit filed in December against Perry County, Sheriff Nick Weems and investigator Jason Morrow.

After the economic agreement was announced, Bushart declared: "I am pleased that my First Amendment rights have been vindicated. The freedom of people to participate in civic dialogue is fundamental to a healthy democracy. I am looking forward to moving forward and spending time with my family."

The former officer's defense was supported by the organization Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Cary Davis, an attorney for the foundation, said the case represents a warning to law enforcement across the country.

"It is in times of upheaval and tension that our national commitment to freedom of expression is tested to the maximum. When government officials fail that test, the Constitution exists to hold them accountable," he said.