Authorities in Tennessee have dropped a felony charge against a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the 10 September killing of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Whereas many people across the US lost their jobs over social media comments about Kirk’s death, Larry Bushart’s case stood out as one of the few instances where such online speech has led to criminal prosecution.
His arrest – on a charge of threatening mass violence at a school – alarmed free speech advocates, who said the Perry county sheriff, Nick Weems, had targeted Bushart because of his political views. Bushart was released on Wednesday after prosecutors sought to dismiss the charge.
Bushart, a 61-year-old former law enforcement officer, had posted numerous memes on Facebook making light of Kirk’s killing.
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