But the six-person jury found him guilty of lying to police about the incident.

The jury returned the split verdict this afternoon following about four hours of deliberations. Third District Judge Royal Hansen scheduled sentencing for June 28. Schanze could face up to 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine on the class B misdemeanor conviction of making a written false statement to police.

Asked if he felt any remorse or would do anything differently, Schanze said, "No. I reacted exactly as I was supposed to. I reacted flawlessly." Schanze said he plans to appeal the false statement conviction.

Schanze, 36, of Sandy, was on trial for pulling a handgun after he sped through a Draper neighborhood on May 21, 2005, and was confronted by angry residents who had followed him to a nearby hang-gliding park.

In front of Schanze's 8-year-old daugther, the residents scolded Schanze for endangering children in the neighborhood. Schanze, who has a concealed weapons permit, pulled out his gun when Clint Sanderson picked up a rock and threatened to break the tail lights on Schanze's Jaguar.

During closing arguments, defense attorney James "Mitch" Vilos said the residents were "vigilantes" who had worked themselves into a "frenzy, like a pack of wolves feeding off each other's anger." Vilos said Schanze ended the confrontation without anyone getting hurt.

Prosecutor Christopher Bown argued that the threat of deadly force was not justified because property, not a person, was at risk.

"Vigilantes, victims, citizens - call them what you will - they did nothing to Mr. Schanze," Bown said.

But Vilos countered, "Mr. Schanze did not use deadly force. No one has ever died from seeing a gun." It was Sanderson, Vilos said, who "escalated violence" with verbal threats followed by threatened vandalism and picking up a rock. "Mr.

Schanze didn't say a word." Schanze sobbed aloud and wiped at tears as Vilos described the rock as a potential deadly weapon. Vilos also told the six-member jury that Schanze is a misunderstood "genius" who is "somewhat eccentric at times," but still entitled to justice. Vilos told jurors he decided Schanze should not testify. "At times he can say things that are irritating and I didn't want that to cloud anyone's judgment." Schanze showed his eccentric side during a hallway tirade this morning in which he blamed the news media for the failure of his Totally Awesome computer store empire. He said sales immediately dropped 40 percent after initial stories appeared about the Draper incident.

"Are you going to apologize for destroying an entire company?" he asked a TV reporter.

Despite pleading guilty Wednesday to speeding 50 mph in a 25 mph zone, Schanze told reporters today that he "never sped past one child." He said he slowed to below the speed limit whenever he saw a child and then sped up again.

Schanze began crying again as he talked about the three residents who were "cussing and swearing" in front of his daughter that day. "I don't care if people attack me," he said. "I can take care of myself, which I did. But how can I protect the innocence of that child - an 8-year-old child who was holding my hand?" He also insisted he did not lie to police by omitting mention of a gun in a written statement, in which he said he pulled out a cell phone.

"I did not lie to police, you freaking idiot," he told the TV reporter. "I did not use lethal force. Are the guys dead? No." shunt@sltrib.com