This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
"Super Dell" Schanze is running for governor of Utah.
Schanze, whose rise to celebrity in local TV ads later was clouded by an owl-kicking scandal, filed a declaration of candidacy on Monday for the office of governor.
Filing under the first name "SUPERDELL," printed in all capital letters, Schanze declared his party affiliation as "Independant (sic) American."
Schanze previously ran for governor in 2008, as a libertarian, and for Saratoga Springs mayor in 2009; he has campaigned as a champion of gun rights. He lists his current address in American Fork and identifies himself as manager of Paraglider Mall.
Schanze first ascended to fame in Utah as the star of TV ads for his business, Totally Awesome Computers, which closed in 2006. He has had several run-ins with the law, including allegations of illegal paragliding stunts in Draper and in Oregon.
A video that surfaced online in 2013 appeared to show a paraglider pilot, identified by federal prosecutors as Schanze, chasing a barn owl in flight, kicking the animal and boasting about it. Schanze initially told a judge that the video was made by an "anti-Christ homosexual who hates me," but he later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of knowingly using an aircraft to harass wildlife and pursuing a migratory bird.
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