Overview
- The settlement was announced Wednesday, May 20, 2026, when Larry Bushart agreed to drop his federal suit in exchange for $835,000 paid by Perry County’s insurer.
- Bushart was arrested in September 2025 after sharing a Facebook meme about Charlie Kirk, held for 37 days on a $2 million bond, and released when a district attorney moved to drop the single felony charge in late October 2025.
- He sued in December 2025, saying Perry County, Sheriff Nick Weems and investigator Jason Morrow violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights, and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression helped represent him.
- Bushart’s lawyers say the jail time cost him a post‑retirement job and caused him to miss family events, and the settlement resolves his claim while the county and officials deny wrongdoing.
- The case is a rare example of criminal charges tied to online political commentary after Kirk’s killing and may prompt closer scrutiny of how law enforcement interprets ambiguous posts and uses arrest as a response.