This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
WEST JORDAN - Add "lying" to the crimes "Super Dell" Schanze allegedly committed last summer when he sped through a Draper neighborhood and pulled a gun after being confronted by several concerned citizens.
The new charge - a class B misdemeanor count of "written false statement" - is based on Schanze's interviews with news reporters, which allegedly conflict with what he told police.
The Utah computer store owner has told reporters he pulled a handgun from his pants pocket to protect himself from what he called "a gang of vigilantes," one of whom was threatening to break the tail lights of his Jaguar with a rock.
But in a written statement to police, Schanze never mentioned a gun. Instead, he claims he pulled out a cell phone and offered to call police, according to a criminal complaint amended this week against Schanze.
Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Chris Bown said Friday that Schanze - who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon - also made verbal denials to police about displaying a gun.
But defense attorney James "Mitch" Vilos claimed police failed to ask Schanze the right question.
They asked Schanze if he had "brandished" a weapon, and Schanze denied it because that word carries the connotation of making a threat, Vilos said. The attorney insisted that showing a weapon is not "brandishing or threatening" if it is done in self-defense.
Vilos said Schanze merely pulled the gun and held it by his hip. When the man with the rock saw the gun, he dropped the rock and Schanze put the gun back in his pocket, Vilos said.
But according to charging documents, Schanze not only exhibited the gun, he pointed it at Clinton Sanderson, the man with the rock.
The confrontation occurred May 21 after the residents followed Schanze, 36, and his 8-year-old daughter to the Point of the Mountain Paragliding Park. Schanze was reportedly driving at a high rate of speed through a neighborhood.
Schanze, who was not present for Friday's hearing, is also charged with "threatening with or using a dangerous weapon in a fight or quarrel," a class A misdemeanor, and reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor.
On Friday, 3rd District Judge Royal Hansen canceled a three-day trial, which was set to begin next month, and reset it for May 10.
The judge also heard arguments on several trial issues, including whether a firearms expert can testify if Schanze responded according to his training when confronted with potential danger.
Vilos said Schanze and others are taught that once an aggressor approaches within 21 feet, the aggressor can be on you before you can pull a holstered or pocketed gun.
"I want to explain [to the jury] why concealed permit holders are trained to take their weapons out and place them at the ready," Vilos told the judge.
Bown said he has no problem with the defense expert so long as he refrains from expressing opinions about whether Schanze was in a self-defense situation. "That's a question for the jury."
Schanze was allegedly carrying two handguns the day of the incident, a Glock 10 mm handgun in his pocket and another handgun in an ankle holster.
Vilos accompanied his arguments with a Power Point presentation that included gun-toting images of John Wayne and "Miami Vice" star Don Johnson.
Schanze is known for goofing for news cameras - making faces, defending his right to bear arms and shouting the name of his line of local businesses: "Totally Awesome!"