Charges have been dropped against a Tennessee man who has been behind bars for more than a month after posting a meme featuring Donald Trump in a group setup as a memorial for slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Larry Bushart, 61, from Lexington, Tennessee – about 110 miles from Nashville – was imprisoned on September 21 for posting a meme quoting US President Donald Trump when he responded to a 2024 school shooting in Perry, Iowa, saying, “We have to get over it”.

Bushart posted the meme on Facebook and organised a vigil after Kirk’s death. He captioned it, “This seems relevant today.”

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However, members of the group interpreted Bushart’s post as a threat against their local high school, which is also called Perry County High School.

“Investigators believe Bushart was fully aware of the fear his post would cause and intentionally sought to create hysteria within the community,” Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems told The Tennessean.

Bushart was then arrested and charged with making threats of mass violence on school property and activities.

However, Weems told NewsChannel 5 on Wednesday that the “charges were nolled about 15 minutes ago.”

Nolle prosequi is a Latin term for charges being dismissed.

The dropping of the charges came after NewsChannel 5 aired an interview on Wednesday with Weems in which he admitted that investigators knew the meme was not about a school shooting, but authorities were responding to community anxiety.

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Further, NewsChannel 5 obtained footage showing a Lexington officer speaking to Bushart, admitting he was unsure why police were interested in his meme posting.

“So, I’m just going to be completely honest with you, I have really no idea what they are talking about, he had just called me and said there was some concerning posts that were made,” the officer said to Bushart.

Bushart confirmed that posts had been made on Facebook but, bemusedly, questioned why the police were being sent to his house over them.

The officer responded: “They wanted me to come make contact with you and let you know that they may be in contact with you and see if you still live here. I don’t know exactly what they are referring to you.”

Bushart replied, “Oh, I do, Charlie Kirk,” as he refused to take the post down. Weems later said he would not have been arrested in the first place if he agreed to delete the meme.

Due to being imprisoned for more than a month, Bushart reportedly lost his job in medical transport.

His arrest is one of many to occur in connection with the fallout from Kirk’s death.

Kirk, a conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated on a college campus while speaking to students about conservative ideology. The person suspected of killing Kirk is currently in custody and charged with several crimes, including aggravated murder.