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ST. GEORGE — A woman charged last month with sexual battery after she allegedly tugged on another woman's skirt at a restaurant in St. George has been fired from the Utah Attorney General's Office, newly released documents show.
Part of the incident at a crowded restaurant was captured on video and shared on social media, where it went viral. The video shows a woman apparently confronting someone and saying, "I happen to work for the state," while displaying what appears to be an ID badge and threatening to call child protective services.
During the 36-second video, the friends of the woman wearing the skirt can be heard saying she's 19 years old and, "You do not get to touch her."
Police say Ida Lorenzo, 48, of Santa Clara, later called 911 to report harassment in connection to the previous night at the restaurant and the video shared on social media. Lorenzo was later charged in 5th District Court on April 25 with sexual battery, a class A misdemeanor.
The same day, her employment with the Utah Attorney General's Office in Washington County was terminated, according to records released Wednesday to KSL through a public records request.
She had been hired March 4 as a legal secretary, the records show.
"I am writing to inform you that you have not passed your probationary employment period successfully and today, April 25, 2024, you are being separated from state employment with the attorney general's office. Your noncompliance with policies and standards related to performance contributed to this decision," the termination letter states.
Lorenzo "approached the woman and pulled her skirt down and told her to be aware of what she was showing, especially with small kids around; this caused all the people with her to accuse (Lorenzo) of sexually assaulting the female," according to a police booking affidavit.
Lorenzo told police she "never touched the female, and that she had only touched the female's skirt," police said. The officer told Lorenzo she had "still engaged in criminal behavior by touching the female's clothing, and her behavior was not appropriate, the affidavit states.
Police said the woman who had her skirt pulled down also contacted them after the incident and reported "she was sexually assaulted while in the lobby" of the restaurant. She said the woman "confronted" her "while her back was turned to her, and without any notice, or formal warning, she felt cold hands go up her skirt, touching her buttocks before she felt her skirt being pulled on," according to the affidavit.
The woman said she was "startled" by the interaction and "felt violated."
