The first Tennessean arrested in connection with a threatening social media post referencing Charlie Kirk’s shooting death made his first court appearance and has his second scheduled to determine bond.
Larry Bushart, 61, of Lexington, Tennessee, was charged Sept. 22 with making threats of mass violence at a school.
Bushart appeared in a Perry County court Oct. 9 and saw his case reset to 9 a.m. Dec. 4 for a preliminary and bond hearing.
His bond was originally set at $2 million, records show. The Dec. 4 hearing will determine if Bushart’s bond is changed and preliminary facts will be presented to determine if his case is bound over.
Bushart is a former police officer with the Huntingdon Police Department. The charges against him stem from a series of social media posts he made about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10.
Bushart allegedly posted multiple photos in the comments section of a Perry County community Facebook group page.
Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems told The Tennessean in a statement that participants on the page were planning to hold a vigil for Kirk in Linden, Tennessee on Sept. 23.
Bushart posted what Weems called “hate memes” about Kirk’s death, but said the memes were not against the law and would be recognized as free speech.
One image caught law enforcement’s attention, though.
Weems said Bushart posted a “Trump meme,” which depicted Trump saying “We have to get over it,” a direct quote from the president after a January 2024 school shooting in Perry County, Iowa that left one dead and seven wounded.
The picture Bushart posted consisted of an image of Trump, along with the quote and is attributed to “Donald Trump on the Perry High School mass shooting one day after,” but did not mention the state of Iowa.
The phrase: “This seems relevant today” tops the photo.
The Tennessean cross-referenced the photo and found it was posted numerous times across multiple social media platforms, not connected to Bushart going back to 2024.
But Weems said Bushart posted the picture “to indicate or make the audience think it was referencing our Perry High School.”
“This led teachers, parents and students to conclude he was talking about a hypothetical shooting at our school,” Weems said. “Numerous (people) reached out in concern.”
The Perry County Sheriff and Lexington Police Department worked together to find and arrest Bushart.
In the aftermath of Kirk’s death, waves of firings and suspensions have occurred across the country in connection to individuals’ social media posts about Kirk, as conservative politicians and influencers push for a crackdown on negative posts about the political podcaster.
A Phoenix sportswriter, a University of Mississippi faculty member, school employees in Idaho, Indiana and South Carolina, emergency workers, a theater professor and other university employees in Tennessee and a U.S. Marine Corps recruiter and many more have been among the professionals fired, suspended or put on leave over social media posts some found offensive.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Hearing set for ex-cop charged with threats after Charlie Kirk death