Tennessee Man Sues County After Arrest for Meme About Charlie Kirk
A former Tennessee law enforcement officer is suing Perry County and its sheriff after being jailed for over a month for a Facebook meme referencing a comment by Donald Trump following a school shooting. The post was made in response to a vigil for conservative activist Charlie Kirk and was interpreted by the sheriff as a threat to a local high school, even though the meme referenced a different school in another state. Bushart was charged with “threatening mass violence at a school” and held on a $2 million bond. The lawsuit alleges violations of Bushart’s First and Fourth Amendment rights, seeks a jury trial, and claims he lost his post-retirement job due to the incarceration, while the county and officials have not yet commented on the lawsuit.
John Q. Hosedrinker