WKRN’s Kelly Milan reports that Larry Bushart, a retired officer from Perry County, Tennessee, is finally home after prosecutors dropped a felony charge tied to a Facebook meme criticizing Donald Trump.
Milan says Bushart was arrested in September for “threatening mass violence at a school” after he shared a meme quoting Trump’s line after a 2024 school shooting: “We have to get over it.”
On camera, Bushart told Milan he never imagined he’d end up in jail over a post. He called the year “tumultuous,” and you can hear the mix of relief and disbelief in his voice as he drives away from jail.
WKRN anchors Bob Mueller and Hayley Wielgus set the scene: the post appeared in a local Facebook group after news of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The sheriff’s office said parents felt fear. The district attorney filed charges.
Then, just as quickly, the charge vanished. Milan reports the DA dropped the case, freeing Bushart after more than a month behind bars.
A Charge Built on Confusion
WKRN’s follow-up segment, anchored and voiced by Bob Mueller, lays out the core of the state’s theory.
Investigators in Perry County said Bushart shared a widely circulated meme quoting Trump about the Perry High School shooting in Iowa.
The affidavit claims Bushart posted it inside a Perry County Facebook group and wrote, “This seems relevant today,” in a thread about a vigil for Charlie Kirk.
Here’s where the confusion starts. As Mueller explains, some locals allegedly believed “Perry High School” meant their Perry County High School in Tennessee, not the school in Iowa referenced by national news and gun-safety groups when that meme first spread.
Even Mueller’s wording suggests how thin that link was. The meme did not mention Tennessee. It quoted Trump from the Iowa event. The only commonality was the word “Perry.”
On The Majority Report, co-hosts Emma Vigeland and Sam Seder call this logic “nuts.” They note that a meme about a separate tragedy in Iowa somehow became a “threat” to a different school 30 miles from Bushart’s house. Seder bluntly asks: where’s the threat in merely repeating a quote?
That question lingers over everything that follows.
Bodycam vs. Narrative
WKRN obtained body-camera video that appears to undercut a key claim by Sheriff Nick Weems.
In a prior statement, Weems said Bushart had been offered “options to de-escalate,” including clarifying his post before any arrest. He claimed Bushart refused.
But Mueller points out the bodycam from Lexington Police shows something else. Officers arrive at Bushart’s home, tell him they barely know what it’s about, and say Perry County just wanted to confirm he lives there. Bushart – confused but calm – says, “Facebook? And they sent you guys for that?” He adds he doesn’t believe he committed a crime.
Crucially, Mueller says the footage shows no request to take down the post, clarify it, or de-escalate on the spot. Lexington’s police chief told WKRN he has seen no evidence his department tried to broker any “clarification” before an arrest.
That’s a serious contradiction. If the sheriff’s office sought de-escalation and never delivered that request, the claim falls apart. If it did deliver the request, it’s not on the tape WKRN reviewed. Either way, transparency was missing when citizens needed it most.
Politics, Pressure, and a $2 Million Bond
The Majority Report adds jaw-dropping context that WKRN also touched on: a judge set Bushart’s bond at $2 million.
Vigeland notes he spent 35 days in jail. Over a meme. And not a novel one – the Trump quote was a well-known line posted by national groups during the Iowa aftermath, as Mueller reiterates.
Seder plays a WKRN clip confronting Sheriff Weems with the meme and asking, plainly, “Where is the threat in there, Sheriff?” Weems responds that people in the community became afraid because it said “Perry High School” on a Perry County page, and “it doesn’t say Iowa.”
That’s not proof of a threat. That’s proof of a misunderstanding – one that law enforcement could have cleared up with a single clarifying post to the same Facebook group.
Meanwhile, WKRN’s Milan reports that State Rep. Justin Jones blasted the arrest in a public letter, calling it a “brazen attempt to criminalize political speech” and accusing the sheriff of abusing his power.
Whether you agree with Jones or not, elected scrutiny in a case like this is healthy. Pressure can force sunlight into closed rooms.
“Delete the Post” Is Not Due Process
If there’s a moment that crystallizes the free-speech stakes, it’s the exchange WKRN aired where Sheriff Weems suggests none of this would have happened if Bushart had just deleted the meme.
On The Majority Report, Matt and Vigeland recoil. Since when does a sheriff tell citizens to delete lawful speech as a condition of peace? The right remedy for bad or confusing speech is more speech – clarification, counterspeech, context – not handcuffs.
WKRN’s bodycam segment shows Bushart telling officers he wouldn’t take it down – and, again, there’s no evidence they asked him to in the first place.
If the state’s position boils down to “delete your political criticism or face jail,” that’s not public safety. That’s compelled silence.
And even if you thought the post was in poor taste given local tensions, the First Amendment doesn’t just protect popular speech in calm times. It protects unpopular speech in messy times. That’s the whole point.
Free Speech vs. Public Safety
Let’s be fair to worried parents. As Mueller recounts, the sheriff says “reasonable citizens” feared for their kids’ safety. In a world of real school threats, fear is understandable.
But fear cannot be the legal standard. The standard must be the law: is there a true threat? Is there a specific, credible intent to commit violence? Is there incitement under the Brandenburg test?
Nothing in the WKRN footage, the affidavit’s summary, or The Majority Report’s citations suggests the meme crossed those lines. It quoted a public figure’s words about a different event in a different state. It included no threat, plan, or target in Tennessee.
And if panic spread, leaders had tools to cool it. They could have posted a pinned notice in the Facebook group explaining the Iowa reference. They could have confirmed with the school and the public that no credible threat existed. They could have protected kids and the Constitution at the same time.
A Rare Liberal in Red Country
Vigeland points out that Bushart is “one of those rare liberals in rural Middle Tennessee,” a “keyboard warrior” known for progressive memes. That detail matters.
When an outspoken dissenter gets singled out for a speech-based charge, we should immediately ask whether the law is being used neutrally – or as a cudgel.
WKRN’s Milan also reports that after release, Bushart was upbeat and grateful. The Majority Report cites his comments to the Washington Post about his first free meal and his immediate return to posting about baseball, candy corn, and politics.
That stubborn cheer feels very American.
Mueller says WKRN went back to Sheriff Weems after reviewing the bodycam. Weems replied that his investigator’s report claimed a Lexington officer relayed the de-escalation ask, and he hadn’t seen the bodycam himself.
That answer isn’t good enough. If you arrest a man over speech – and set in motion a $2 million bond and 35 days in a cell – you should know exactly who said what to whom, and when. You should also watch the tape before you speak to the press.
Transparency protects everyone, including law enforcement. If your case rests on a “request to clarify,” show the request.
The Charges Are Gone. The Questions Aren’t.
Milan confirms the charge was dropped. Bushart is free. That’s the headline.
But it can’t be the end of the story. Why was the bond set so high? Why did a misunderstanding trump basic investigation? Why did the sheriff elevate deletion over explanation?
And why did it take a month, bodycam footage, a state representative’s letter, and relentless local reporting by WKRN for the system to correct itself?
WKRN’s Kelly Milan and Bob Mueller did the public a service here. They walked viewers through the facts, aired the footage, and pressed officials on the record. That’s journalism doing its job.
The Majority Report’s Emma Vigeland, Sam Seder, and Matt provided sharp critique from the commentariat side, hammering home the obvious danger of criminalizing memes and deputizing sheriffs as social-media censors. That pushback matters, too.
Here’s the rule we should all want, no matter our politics: when speech is confusing but not threatening, leaders clarify. They do not cuff.
When fear spikes, officials inform. They do not inflate. And when a meme echoes a national news moment from another state, the first step is context, not a felony warrant.
Bushart is home because the DA finally did what the Constitution required. Next time, the system should get there on day one.
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The article Charges Dropped After Tennessee Man Spent a Month in Jail for Posting Political Meme first appeared on Survival World.
Gary’s love for adventure and preparedness stems from his background as a former Army medic. Having served in remote locations around the world, he knows the importance of being ready for any situation, whether in the wilderness or urban environments. Gary’s practical medical expertise blends with his passion for outdoor survival, making him an expert in both emergency medical care and rugged, off-the-grid living. He writes to equip readers with the skills needed to stay safe and resilient in any scenario.
