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The Intercept and Nashville’s CBS affiliate, NewsChannel 5, secured bodycam footage from Lexington police that undermined Weems’ narrative. The footage clearly shows that police don’t understand why the Perry County Sheriff took issue with Bushart’s Facebook post.
“So, I’m going to be completely honest with you,” the cop told Bushart. “I don’t really know what they’re talking about. He called me and said something was posted . . .”
Bushart clarified that it was probably his Facebook post, laughing at the idea that someone called the police to report his meme. The Lexington officer told Bushart that he wasn’t sure “exactly what” Facebook post “they were referring to,” but “they said there was some indication of violence.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Bushart responded, then added, “I’m not going to take it down.”
Police, refusing to even look at the Facebook post, told Bushart, “I don’t care. It has nothing to do with me.” But the officer’s indifference didn’t stop Lexington police from taking Bushart into custody, booking him and sending him to Weems County, where Bushart was “charged under a state law passed in July 2024 that makes making threats against schools a Class E felony,” The Tennessean reported.
“Just to clarify, they charged you with this,” a Perry County Jail officer told Bushart — which was recorded in footage reviewed by The Intercept — “of threats of mass violence at a school.”
“At school?” Bushart asked.
“I haven’t got a clue,” replied the officer with a smile. “I have to do what I have to do.”
“I was in Facebook jail, but now I’m really into it,” Bushart said, joining him with a laugh.
Police knew the meme was not a threat
Lexington police told The Intercept that Weems lied when he told a local news outlet that the force “coordinated” to give Bushart a chance to delete the post before being arrested. Confronted with the bodycam footage, Weems denied lying, claiming his investigator’s report must have been wrong, NewsChannel 5 reported. Report.
Weems later admitted to NewsChannel 5 that “investigators knew the meme was not about Perry County High School” and sought Bushart’s arrest anyway, supposedly hoping to assuage “fear of people in the community who misinterpreted it.” Weems apparently admitted that his intention was to censor the post as close as possible.
