Driving case puts 'Superdell' in court

OREM — A man known for his high-energy computer ads, various police run-ins and a failed attempt at the governor's seat can't seem to stay out of legal trouble.

Dell Schanze, 39, will be in court again May 1 for a hearing related to charges of carrying a concealed and dangerous weapon, reckless driving and three misdemeanor counts of seat belt or child restraint violation.

However, his attorney said he believes the case will be resolved.

"There are negotiations ongoing," said court-appointed attorney Grant Nagamatsu. "I would be surprised if it ended up at trial."

Police say Schanze was traveling north on Redwood Road in Saratoga Springs on Aug. 18, when an officer from the Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division noticed the car "abruptly shaking" from side to side, according to court documents.

As Schanze got closer, the officer said he had to drive off the road to avoid being hit, according to the documents.

When the officer pulled Schanze over, he noticed two children in the front passenger seat and two more children and an adult female in the back. The officer wrote that none of the children were wearing seat belts.

When the officer told Schanze he had pulled him over for the shaking, Schanze apologized and said he did it as something fun for the kids, court records state.

As Schanze reached for his driver's license and other documents in a fanny pack around his waist, the officer stopped him and asked if he had a gun in there, according to the documents.

The officer said Schanze said yes. However, Nagamatsu said there could be some dispute over that issue because Schanze told him he didn't have his weapon with him at the time. And nowhere in the police report did the officer ever mention seeing or recovering a gun.

Although Nagamatsu filed a motion to suppress the charge as it relates to the gun, it was denied.

But court proceedings like these aren't new to Schanze or "Superdell," the former Totally Awesome Computers owner famous for his TV commercials.

In June 2006, Schanze pleaded no contest to a class B misdemeanor of creating a public nuisance for flying a powered paraglider over rush-hour I-15 traffic near Draper. That same year he was acquitted by a jury of threatening to use a dangerous weapon.

However, the jury did convict him of making a false written statement and reckless driving after he sped through a Draper neighborhood, then confronted the angry residents.

Trying his hand at politics, Schanze ran against Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr., in the 2008 election, but received less than 3 percent of the vote.

Schanze is also dealing with some financial difficulties. In the affidavit of indigency he filed to request a court-appointed attorney, he indicated that along with his normal-type debts, he also owes $1.1 million to the IRS.

A message left for Schanze was not immediately returned.

E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com