Dave Dahl in court

Dave Dahl (left) with attorney Stephen Houze meet reporters outside the courtroom Tuesday after his trial was postponed until Oct. 18, 2014.

(Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian)

A judge on Tuesday postponed a trial for Dave Dahl, the co-founder of Dave's Killer Bread, on charges stemming from a November 2013 police chase through a Cedar Hills neighborhood, where he rammed several Washington County sheriff's patrol vehicles and later struggled with deputies as they tried arresting him.

Dahl, 51, is now scheduled for a stipulated facts trial at 3 p.m. Oct. 17 in Washington County Circuit Court on charges of attempted assault, assault, unlawful use of a weapon, intent to elude police, failure to perform the duties of a driver and resisting arrest. In a stipulated facts trial, the state and defense agree to the facts in evidence and ask a judge to decide the case.

Dahl, clean-shaven and in a dark suit, did not make any public statements or comments.

Dahl's attorney, Stephen Houze, plans to argue that his client is guilty except for insanity. Houze also plans to use as a defense that Dahl was suffering from a severe manic episode stemming from previously undiagnosed bipolar I disorder on the night of the Cedar Hills incident.

Houze said Dahl had a .04 blood-alcohol content the night of the incident and that he had not taken any drugs.

Dave Dahl (left) and his attorney, Stephen Houze, appear in Washington County court on Tuesday. His trial was set aside until Oct. 18, 2014.

Dahl told The Oregonian in August that, since his arrest last year, he still struggles with bipolar disorder and had checked himself into a Utah rehab clinic in May.

Dahl has a criminal history that includes 15 years in and out of prison. He joined his family's bakery business, then launched the whole grain bread franchise bearing his name and likeness in 2005.

Dahl's family sold a half-stake in the business to expand nationwide in 2012. That same year, the Milwaukie-based company reported $53 million in sales and 280 employees -- nearly a third of them ex-cons.

According to court documents, a friend of Dahl's called 911 last fall and reported the bread mogul had been drinking and was in apparent mental distress, including referring to himself as Jesus and talking to people who weren't there.

Dahl drove away in a black Cadillac Escalade as county deputies arrived, soon crashed head-on into one patrol car and later rammed two other sheriff's vehicles as authorities trapped the SUV in a cul-de-sac, court documents said.

Dahl screamed and flailed as deputies pulled him out of the SUV, was Tased and struck more than a dozen times in the head and face until deputies were able to handcuff him, according to court documents.

Earlier that day, employees at Dave's Killer Bread's Milwaukie headquarters reported to police that Dahl arrived, threatened workers, punched a life-size cutout of himself and then drove away.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.