- The incident happened last month in the lobby of a restaurant in St. George
- A Utah legal secretary was charged with sexual assault after the confrontation
- The 19-year-old victim told police she felt “violated” by the woman’s actions
A Utah woman charged last month with sexual assault after pulling down a teenager’s skirt at a restaurant was fired from her job at the Utah attorney general’s office.
Newly released court documents show that Ida Lorenzo, 48, was fired from her relatively new position on April 25, the same day she was accused of sexual assault.
Lorenzo was captured on video at a busy restaurant in St. George, Utah, pulling another woman’s skirt and telling her to pay attention to “what she was showing, especially with small children around,” according to a police affidavit.
During the 36-second viral video, the young woman’s friends can be heard telling Lorenzo, “You can’t touch her.”
Ida Lorenzo was charged with a class A misdemeanor after the April 20 skirt-pulling incident in the lobby of Sakura Japanese Steakhouse. A TikTok video of the altercation, filmed by one of the victim’s friends, later went viral
Lorenzo also appeared to wave a badge and said, “I happen to work for the state,” as she threatened to call child protective services.
Local law enforcement authorities say Lorenzo called 911 the day after the incident occurred to report harassment related to the unpleasant encounter.
She was charged in 5th District Court on the 25th with sexual battery, a class A misdemeanor.
Local point of sale KSL reported that, according to records released Wednesday through a public records request, Lorenzo’s employment with the state AG’s Washington County office was terminated the same day she was charged.
The documents show she had only been on the job for about six weeks after being hired by the firm as a legal secretary on March 4.
Lorenzo was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane and released after posting bail. She is seen here just seconds before her arrest
The resignation letter reportedly reads: “I am writing to inform you that you have not successfully completed your probationary period and that today, April 25, 2024, you will be separated from state employment at the Attorney General’s Office.
“Your failure to adhere to policies and standards regarding performance contributed to this decision.”
According to police documents, the night of the alleged assault, Lorenzo approached the young woman and pulled down her skirt while telling her to “pay attention to what she was showing, especially with small children around.”
“This caused all the people who were with her to accuse (Lorenzo) of sexually assaulting the woman,” police records state.
Lorenzo told authorities that she “never” touched the other woman, and that she only “touched the woman’s skirt.”
An officer told her that she had still “engaged in criminal behavior by touching the woman’s clothing, and that her behavior was not appropriate.”
The incident occurred on April 20 at the Sakura Japanese Steakhouse in St. George, Utah
After the incident, the teen contacted police to report that she had been “sexually assaulted while in the lobby” of the St. George restaurant.
The woman (Lorenzo) had ‘confronted her’ while her back was turned, and without any notice or formal warning she felt cold hands go up her skirt and touch her buttocks before she felt her skirt being tugged drawn’. according to police records.
The young woman said she felt “shocked” and “violated” by the encounter.
Lorenzo is due to appear in court in June.
