A former Tennessee police officer who spent more than a month behind bars after posting social media content criticizing Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA following Kirk’s assassination last September has received an $835,000 settlement.

According to the New York Times, Larry Bushart reached the settlement agreement with Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems and local government officials after filing a federal lawsuit late last year.

Bushart had been arrested after sharing memes on social media that accused TPUSA of promoting hatred. Following the arrest, he remained jailed for 37 days.

“The people’s freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy,” Bushart said in a statement. “I am looking forward to moving on and spending time with my family.”

The report described Bushart as a “Facebook warrior” who reposted numerous memes created by others in a local Facebook group. The group had been circulating information about a prayer vigil honoring Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking to students at Utah Valley University in September.

One of the memes Bushart allegedly shared featured President Trump saying, “We have to get over this,’” following a school shooting at Perry High School in Iowa.

According to the report, “The original poster” of the meme had also reportedly included the words, “this seems relevant today.”

Sheriff Weems later claimed that some residents believed Bushart’s posts amounted to threats directed toward the local high school.

As a result, the Perry County Sheriff’s Department reportedly contacted police officers in Bushart’s hometown and requested that an officer visit him regarding the posts.

According to the report, Bushart refused to delete the material when approached by law enforcement, despite the officer appearing confused by the request.

Bushart, who told the confused police officer that he would not remove his post, was arrested “later that night.”

{Matzav.com}