What they're not telling you: # TENNESSEE SHERIFF ADMITS HE KNEW THE MEME WAS HARMLESS—AND JAILED THE MAN ANYWAY Sheriff Nick Weems of Perry settlement-after-lawsuit.html" title="Tennessee man jailed 37 days for Trump meme wins settlement after lawsuit" style="color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-style:dotted;font-weight:500;">County, Tennessee, obtained an arrest warrant for retired law enforcement officer Larry Bushart knowing that Bushart had shared a pre-existing meme referring to a school shooting 500 miles away in Iowa, not Perry County. The warrant application omitted this material fact. Bushart spent 37 days in jail.
What the Documents Show
He is now $835,000 richer, which means Perry County taxpayers are $835,000 poorer—and Weems remains employed. This is what happens when state law enforcement weaponizes the criminal justice system against protected speech without consequence. On September 20, 2025, in the chaos following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Bushart commented on a Facebook post promoting a local vigil by sharing a meme—one he did not create or edit—that quoted Donald Trump's statement after the 2024 Perry, Iowa school shooting: "We have to get over it." The meme included context referencing the Iowa incident by name. Weems, the elected sheriff of Perry County, Tennessee, decided this was a threat to Perry County High School in Tennessee, 500+ miles away, in a different state. What makes this egregious is not merely the arrest.
Follow the Money
It's the deliberate omission. Video evidence shows Bushart told the arresting officer he had never made a threat. Weems later admitted—in a subsequent interview—that he knew at the time the meme was pre-existing and referred to Iowa, not Tennessee. Yet the warrant application, signed by Weems and prepared with investigator Jason Morrow, stripped away this context entirely. Without the Iowa reference, the meme became what Weems needed it to be: apparent evidence of a local threat. The Supreme Court's longstanding jurisprudence on political speech made it irrelevant; Weems and Morrow omitted the facts anyway.
What Else We Know
The settlement—$835,000—came after a federal civil rights lawsuit filed in December 2025, represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and the firm Phillips & Phillips, PLLC. The county and sheriff settled rather than litigate. Weems still holds office. No criminal charges were filed against Weems or Morrow for falsifying the warrant application or violating Bushart's civil rights. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation did not launch an inquiry. The district attorney did not prosecute.
Primary Sources
- Source: Hacker News
- Category: Corporate Watchdog
- Cross-reference independently — don't take our word for it.
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