Uintah County man will go to trial for allegedly shooting at sheriff deputy

A man accused of shooting at a Uintah County sheriff's deputy has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the 2012 incident.

Dallas A. Rowley, 67, is charged in 8th District Court with one count each of attempted murder, a first-degree felony, and failing to respond to an officer's signal, a third-degree felony.

Rowley's not guilty pleas came Wednesday after Judge Clark McClellan heard evidence of the incident during a preliminary hearing and ruled there was enough evidence for Rowley to stand trial on the charges. A trial date was not set on Wednesday, but Rowley will be back in court on April 10 for a motion hearing.

The preliminary hearing for Rowley has been delayed over the last year as the man's competency was questioned.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in court, Deputy Mike Lourenco spotted Rowley's white Chevrolet Suburban on March 8 near Red Wash Road and Highway 45. The deputy said he noticed a handgun within Rowley's reach and asked him to step outside the car for a sobriety test. The Vernal man instead drove off and Lourenco followed.

Lourenco later drove up behind Rowley's vehicle and saw a rifle pointed at him from the driver's window, court documents state. The deputy "laid over in his seat." Police say the patrol car was shot at least 10 times.

"Three bullet holes are in the windshield in a pattern that would have hit Deputy Lourenco in the chest, neck or head if he had remained in an upright, seated position," according to the affidavit.

Police searched for Rowley for two days before finding him near the White River in the southern part of Uintah County.

jmiller@sltrib.com