A Tennessee man who spent more than a month in jail over Facebook posts about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk will get $835,000 after settling a lawsuit against local officials.Larry Bushart, 61, is a retired police officer and was jailed for 37 days before prosecutors dropped the felony charge related to social media memes he posted after Kirk’s death.Tennessee officials will now pay $835,000 to settle Buschart’s federal lawsuit against Perry County, the local sheriff and an investigator involved in obtaining the arrest warrant.Bushart said the time spent in custody had a personal and financial impact. He lost his job after retirement, missed his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter while behind bars.“I am pleased that my First Amendment rights have been vindicated,” Buschert said in a statement announcing the settlement Wednesday.He said: “People’s freedom to engage in civil discussion is vital to a healthy democracy. I look forward to moving on and spending time with my family.”Buschart was arrested in September after refusing to remove Facebook memes that referenced Kirk’s murder, sparking outrage among the conservative activist’s MAGA supporters. Officials said the post has caused concern in the local community.A meme shared by Bushart read, “We have to get over this,” along with an image of President Donald Trump. The image references Trump’s 2024 comments following a school shooting in Iowa. The meme stated that this quote was given “a day after” the incident.Bushart added the caption: “It still feels relevant today…”Controversy escalated when some residents misinterpreted the post as a potential threat to a local school with a similar name in Tennessee. Police later confirmed that the meme was not referring to the Tennessee school shooting, but to the Iowa school shooting.Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems said at the time that most of Bushart’s posts were protected speech, but the specific meme created concern in the community.“Investigators believe that Bushart was fully aware that his posts would instill fear and that he deliberately tried to create hysteria within the community,” Weems said in a statement to The Tennessean last year.Bushart was initially held on $2 million bail before being released as the case attracted scrutiny over free speech protections.Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when a gunman using a sniper from the rooftop about 140 meters away during a public event fired a single shot, killing him. His wife Erica Kirk later made emotional public comments, while Turning Point USA continued operations after his death.