Former Salt Lake City Council member Amy Fowler now has a trial date for the DUI case that derailed her political career.
Fowler, who appeared in a brief virtual hearing with a Springville Justice Court judge Thursday morning, is slated to face a jury trial on Jan. 18. The former representative of District 7 — which covers the east side’s Sugar House neighborhood — previously pleaded not guilty to one count of driving under the influence.
The Utah Highway Patrol arrested Fowler on May 3 in Springville. The highway patrol has said Fowler was involved in a crash on Interstate 15 in Murray — about 40 miles away from the site of her arrest — and didn’t stop to exchange information with the other driver.
“She stated another vehicle struck her vehicle in Salt Lake [County] but she did not stop because she did not think they stopped,” a trooper wrote in a police report.
After stopping her car, she initially denied consuming alcohol and refused to submit to sobriety tests, but ultimately agreed to be evaluated, according to the report. A breath test for Fowler registered a reading of 0.111, according to authorities. Utah’s legal limit is 0.05.
Fowler, a criminal defense attorney, was arrested six minutes before she was scheduled to appear in 6th District Court in Manti to represent a Utah Department of Corrections inmate in an assault case.
Less than a week after her arrest, Fowler vowed to stay on the council and rebuild trust. She called the experience “eye-opening” and said it made her reflect on her relationship with alcohol.
Council Chair Darin Mano later announced Fowler would be stepping away from her position as vice chair of the city’s Redevelopment Agency and stepping back from some of her public duties as a council member for 30 days.
On May 30, hours after The Salt Lake Tribune asked Fowler for comment on not appearing in court to represent her client the day she was arrested, the then-council member announced she would resign in July.
Ten days after Fowler’s resignation, the City Council selected Sarah Young to fill the vacated position. Because of the timing of the appointment, the District 7 seat will be up for grabs in the November election.
Young is running to retain the seat.
