Tennessee Sheriff Accused of Abusing Power After Jailing Man 30 Days Over Trump Meme
A Meme, a Misunderstanding, and a Month in Jail
LEXINGTON, Tenn. — A 61-year-old progressive Tennessean spent more than a month behind bars over a Trump meme, a case that now appears to have been built on false pretenses, miscommunication, and political bias.
Larry Bushart was arrested September 21 and held on a $2 million bond after posting a meme quoting Donald Trump: “We have to get over it,” referencing a school shooting in Perry, Iowa. Authorities in Perry County, Tennessee, claimed Bushart’s post was a threat of mass violence against Perry County High School, more than 600 miles away from the event he was commenting on.
This week, the charges were abruptly dropped, without explanation.
“Charges were nolled about 15 minutes ago,” Sheriff Nick Weems texted a NewsChannel 5 reporter on Wednesday. “Nolle prosequi” is Latin for charges dismissed.
Bushart’s case exposes what legal experts call a clear abuse of power: a politically charged arrest under false claims of public safety, followed by a month-long detention based on misinformation and a meme that was never a threat in the first place.
Video Evidence Contradicts Sheriff’s Story
Bodycam footage obtained by NewsChannel 5 shows that police never told Bushart his meme was being interpreted as a threat against Perry County High School. Instead, the Lexington officer who visited his home appeared confused about why he was sent there in the first place.
“I have really no idea what they are talking about,” the officer told Bushart. “They said there was some concerning post on Facebook.”
Bushart replied with disbelief:
“On Facebook? … Oh, I do — Charlie Kirk.”
The officer admitted he didn’t know what post Perry County was referring to and said only that it “was insinuating violence.” When Bushart refused to take down the meme, which was political satire mocking Trump’s reaction to gun violence, the officer shrugged.
“I don’t care,” he said. “This ain’t got nothing to do with me.”
Yet hours later, Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems claimed Bushart had refused to cooperate after being told his meme caused fear of a school shooting. That narrative, contradicted by the video, became the foundation for a felony charge of threatening mass violence.
Sheriff’s Defense Falls Apart
When confronted by NewsChannel 5’s investigative team, Sheriff Weems doubled down, saying his department was responding to community fears.
“We try to de-escalate the situation,” Weems said. “He admitted to making the post and advised that he was not taking it down. Therefore, he was showing the intent.”
But the newly released bodycam footage shows no mention of a school, no threats, and no indication of violence, only political speech. When asked about the discrepancy, Weems admitted he hadn’t even seen the video that refuted his own public statements.
“I’ve not seen the Lexington bodycam footage,” he said. “My investigator has requested it and their report.”
A Political Targeting of Speech
Bushart is known locally as a liberal critic of Donald Trump, active on social media but without any criminal record. His supporters say the arrest was a thinly veiled act of political retaliation in a deep-red county.
“They wanted to make an example of him,” one Lexington resident told SFL Media. “He embarrassed Trump supporters with a meme, and they used the justice system to punish him for it.”
The meme in question quoting Trump’s own dismissive language about mass shootings was clearly commentary, not incitement. Civil liberties experts warn that such prosecutions represent a dangerous escalation in the criminalization of online speech.
Jailed Over a Meme and Possibly Destroyed by It
For 38 days, Bushart sat in jail unable to post bond, set at an extraordinary $2 million. During that time, he lost his job driving medical transport. Friends describe his ordeal as “psychological warfare” waged under the guise of law enforcement. The district attorney’s sudden dismissal of all charges, immediately after the investigative report aired, confirms what critics feared from the start: there was no crime.
Pattern of Overreach
Sheriff Nick Weems has previously faced criticism for blending religion and politics into law enforcement, once referring to himself publicly as “God’s lawman.” His department has come under fire for politically charged arrests and for allegedly ignoring due process in other social-media-related cases. The Bushart case, experts say, crosses a constitutional red line.
“This is the definition of government overreach,” said a Nashville civil-rights attorney familiar with the case. “You cannot jail a man for satire and you certainly can’t hold him for 30 days on a lie.”
The Broader Issue: Policing Free Speech
Bushart’s ordeal underscores the growing national tension between local law enforcement and online speech especially in conservative jurisdictions where “threat” and “criticism” often blur. What makes this case exceptional is how quickly the narrative unraveled once real evidence surfaced. It raises urgent questions about accountability, political bias, and the misuse of public power to punish dissent. If this can happen in rural Tennessee, over a meme, it can happen anywhere.
Sources
- “Charges Dropped: Tennessee authorities dismiss charges against man who posted Trump meme” — NewsChannel 5 Investigates. (News Channel 5 Nashville (WTVF))
- “Tennessee sheriff defends jailing liberal activist for posting Trump meme about school shooting” — NewsChannel 5 Investigates. (News Channel 5 Nashville (WTVF))
- “Tennessee man arrested for posting meme ‘threatening violence’ in Facebook group” — The Independent. (The Independent)
- “Former police officer’s Facebook comments lead to his arrest” — WBBJTV. (WBBJ TV)
- “Snopes Fact-Check: Tennessee man jailed for posting Trump meme” — Snopes. (Snopes)
