Tennessee officials to pay $125K to settle claim they arrested a man for meme about fallen officer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys say they are settling a lawsuit brought by a man who accused Tennessee authorities of arresting him for posting a social media meme about a fallen sheriff’s officer. Joshua Andrew Garton’s lawyers say the case is being settled for $125,000. Garton was arrested in 2021 after posting an edited photograph that depicted two people urinating on a gravestone that included a photo of a slain Dickson County sheriff’s officer. Garton’s attorneys filed the federal lawsuit on First Amendment grounds. Their client was charged with harassment and jailed nearly two weeks before a judge dismissed the charges. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation declined to comment. District Attorney Ray Crouch did not immediately respond to requests for comment.