Overview
- Larry Bushart agreed Wednesday to drop his federal suit in exchange for an $835,000 payment that the county’s insurer will make, with Perry County and its officials denying wrongdoing.
- Bushart was arrested in September 2025 after sharing a Facebook meme about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, held on a $2 million bond he could not pay, and spent 37 days in jail before prosecutors dropped the single felony charge in late October 2025.
- His December federal complaint alleged violations of his First and Fourth Amendment rights and named Perry County, Sheriff Nick Weems and investigator Jason Morrow; the case had been scheduled for a July 2026 trial before the settlement.
- Bushart’s lawyers and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said the arrest cost him a post-retirement job and caused him to miss family events including his wedding anniversary and the birth of a grandchild.
- The settlement closes this civil case but leaves open broader questions about how law enforcement assesses online political speech and the effect of high bail on people accused of speech-related offenses, a dynamic that has produced other recent payouts.