Denver judge jails police critic for doxing officer's home address, says she has "no respect for the law"
A Denver County Court judge on Friday sentenced a vocal police critic to 60 days in jail and two years of probation, saying he needed to send a message that would deter her and her YouTube followers from future doxing of law enforcement.
"The court finds the defendant has no respect for the law," said Judge Isaam Shamsid-Deen, adding that Regan Benson, 53, had shown no accountability for her actions.
The case stems from a September 3, 2025, livestream Benson conducted outside a Denver Police station. An advocate for the homeless and a persistent critic of law enforcement, Benson has livestreamed hundreds of times and has roughly 24,000 followers on YouTube. During the broadcast, she solicited her followers to search for the home address of a Denver police commander. When followers found it and relayed it back to her, Benson read the address aloud on the stream and suggested there should be a "pig roast" at his home.
Benson maintained the remark was "a joke, hyperbole" with no malicious intent and no direct threat.
A week after the livestream, Denver police obtained a warrant for Benson's arrest on a charge of posting personal information of a protected person online, a Class 1 misdemeanor. The case appears to be the first prosecution in Colorado under the state's anti-doxing statute. The officer whose address was publicly broadcast said he feared for his safety and that of his family.
A jury convicted Benson of the charge in March. She was sentenced on Friday afternoon.
In handing down the sentence, Shamsid-Deen pointed to Benson's conduct after the verdict. Immediately following her conviction, she livestreamed again, calling the jury "stupid," declaring the judge biased, and reiterating her contempt for the criminal justice system. The judge said Benson "purposely and willfully disrespects the law" and that the sentence was necessary to deter her and her followers from similar conduct.
The sentencing itself hit a procedural snag. Shamsid-Deen initially sought to impose a 90-day jail term, but prosecutor Jonah Karls informed him that the sentence exceeded his legal authority, something the judge appeared unaware of. Shamsid-Deen then reduced the sentence to 60 days. He also denied a defense request to delay Benson's jailing until early next week, ordering her taken into custody immediately.
Benson's attorney, Jamie Hubbard, said the prosecution was both legally flawed and politically troubling.
"I feel very strongly now is not the time for the Denver District Attorney to be targeting people like Regan Benson who hold our law enforcement officers accountable," said Hubbard.
She argued that posting the officer's home address did not constitute an imminent threat and therefore did not violate the law. She also called Colorado's anti-doxing statute unconstitutional, saying Benson was exercising her First Amendment rights during the livestream. Benson will appeal, Hubbard said.
Hubbard drew a pointed comparison between the Benson case and the federal prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted over a May 2025 Instagram post showing seashells arranged to spell "8647," a photo Trump supporters interpreted as a threat against the 47th president.
"It is offensive to me and scary that our prosecutors in Denver are doing the same thing the Department of Justice is doing under this administration," Hubbard said.
Denver District Attorney John Walsh pushed back in a written statement after the sentencing.
"I have always, and always will, vigorously support all Coloradans' First Amendment expression. But in this case, as a jury of Denverites found beyond a reasonable doubt, the defendant's conduct clearly stepped across the line," Walsh said.
Benson may not remain jailed for long. The judge allowed her to post a $3,000 bond, which would allow her to remain free while her appeal proceeds. Her husband, Bo Benson, said Friday he hoped to post the bond that evening and expected his wife to be released shortly after.
