https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-meme-tennessee-arrest-larry-bushart-02b445f454bcfb657a48e8fa7e8ddfc9
Authorities in Tennessee have dropped a felony charge against a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
His arrest on a charge of threatening mass violence at a school alarmed free speech advocates, who said Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems had targeted Bushart because of his political views. Bushart was released Wednesday after prosecutors sought to dismiss the charge.
Bushart, a 61-year-old former law enforcement officer, had posted numerous memes on Facebook making light of Kirks killing.
The one that got Bushart arrested was a meme featuring President Donald Trump and the words, We have to get over it. That quote, the meme explained, was said by Trump last year after a school shooting at Iowas Perry High School.
Posting the meme, Bushart wrote: This seems relevant today...
Investigators believe Bushart was fully aware of the fear his post would cause and intentionally sought to create hysteria within the community, Weems said in a statement to The Tennessean last month.
He said Bushart was arrested after refusing to delete the post. His bail was set at $2 million.
Bushart spent more than five weeks in jail before being released. Neither Weems nor Hans Schwendimann, the local district attorney, immediately responded to requests for comment on why the charge was dropped.
He spent five weeks behind bars for saying about Charlie Kirk's shooting what Donald Trump said about school shootings. I hope he wins a
massive
lawsuit against these people, and I hope the local taxpayers feel the sting of having to settle up.