Trial date set for license suspension of ex-Majority Leader Killpack

SALT LAKE CITY — Former Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack, who was accused of DUI in January, will have a bench trial the morning of May 25 in state district court regarding the suspension of his driver's license.

A bench trial is one in which evidence is presented to a judge rather than a jury and the judge decides the outcome.

Killpack, 41, has been charged in Salt Lake County Justice Court with DUI, a class B misdemeanor, and failure to signal, a class C misdemeanor. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The DUI case is pending before Municipal Judge Shauna Graves-Robinson, who will hear motions in Killpack's case on May 25 in the afternoon.

The appeal of the driver's license suspension is a separate matter that will be heard by 3rd District Judge John Paul Kennedy.

Killpack was stopped near 700 East and 3300 South around 12:15 a.m. on Jan. 15 by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper. Investigators say Killpack performed poorly on a field sobriety test and refused to take a Breathalyzer test. His blood-alcohol level was shown to be 0.11; the legal limit is 0.08.

Killpack resigned from the state Legislature the day after his arrest to avoid being a "distraction" during the legislative session.

— Linda Thomson