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SALT LAKE CITY — A day after rejecting a plea deal and proclaiming to reporters, "Tell the truth 'cause the liar will be thrust down to hell," Dell Schanze quietly went back to a federal courtroom Friday to plead guilty.
Following several outlandish appearances in federal court that received significant media attention, Schanze, 45, of American Fork, without fanfare, pleaded guilty to using an aircraft to harass wildlife and pursuing a migratory bird, both misdemeanors.
"There was no plea agreement, and federal prosecutors made no concessions to Schanze as a part of his guilty plea to both counts," according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
U.S. District Judge Dee Benson sentenced Schanze to one year on probation. He will also be required to forfeit an orange parasail as a substitute asset for the paraglider involved in the incident. Benson also ordered Schanze not to land his paraglider in federally designated wilderness areas or other areas where motorized vehicles are prohibited by federal law.
He was scheduled to go to trial April 20. Benson could have sentenced him to up to a year in federal prison and fined him $100,000.
Schanze, the founder of Totally Awesome Computers and known for his vociferous personality, chased and kicked an owl while flying in his motorized paraglider in 2011 — an incident that surfaced in a YouTube video two years ago.
On Thursday, Schanze, his attorneys and prosecutors gathered in the courtroom for what was expected to be a resolution to the case. But when it came time for Schanze to stipulate to the facts of the case — a required element in plea deals — and admit he harassed a barn owl with his motorized paraglider, Schanze said, "No, sir."
Schanze further explained that he only wanted to say "guilty," and not, as he perceived it, "tell the whole world I'm an evil, horrible guy who does bad things."
After the hearing, Schanze continued to berate reporters covering the hearing, something that had become common at prior hearings.
“The protection of Utah’s wildlife should be important to all of us," U.S. Attorney Carlie Christensen said Friday afternoon in a prepared statement. "Mr. Schanze used his motorized paraglider to harass an owl to the point of exhaustion and then kicked it. His actions showed utter disregard for this protected bird."
