An outraged steakhouse patron accused of pulling down a teenage girl’s skirt in public last month has reportedly been fired from his job with the Utah Attorney General’s office.
Ida Ann Lorenzo, 48, was hired as a legal secretary in the attorney general’s office on March 4 but was fired from her position on April 25, the same day she was served with criminal charges stemming from the steakhouse incident. Obtained Reading by KSL.
“We are pleased to inform you that you have not been able to successfully complete your probationary period and that as of today, April 25, 2024, you will be removed from active duty with the Attorney General’s Office,” the letter read.
“Failure to comply with performance-related policies and standards led to this decision.”
Lorenzo was charged with sexual assault, a Class A misdemeanor, for allegedly pulling the skirt of a 19-year-old girl and removing her clothes in the lobby of Sakura Japanese Steakhouse on April 20.
The aftermath of the incident was captured in a video going viral on TikTok, in which Lorenzo is seen telling the alleged victim that her “butt is sticking out” and threatening to call child welfare services.
The 36-second video shows the young woman’s friends yelling at Mr Lorenzo after the argument.
“You can’t touch her,” the group said.
Lorenzo reportedly showed the girls his badge and told them he was a State of Utah employee.
TikTok is Viewed It has been viewed more than 13 million times since it was posted last month.
After the altercation went viral and sparked online backlash, Lorenzo called police and said he “feared for his life” after a girl accused him of sexually harassing her at a St. George restaurant.
In body camera footage taken inside the police station on April 22, Lorenzo claims he saw the girl’s “full (vagina) and buttock flesh” in a crowded restaurant lobby surrounded by children, adding that a boy pointed out the girl’s short skirt.
She admitted to pulling the girl’s skirt but claimed her hands never touched the girl’s skin.
The officer she was seen speaking to told her that it was “not her job” to take matters into her own hands and that she should have called the police.
Police said the girl, whose skirt Lorenzo allegedly pulled down, also contacted police to report she had been “sexually assaulted in the lobby” of the restaurant.
According to a police arrest warrant obtained by the outlet, the now-fired state employee “approached the woman and told her to pull down her skirt and be careful what she showed, especially with small children present. This led all present to accuse (Lorenzo) of sexually assaulting the woman.”
Other witnesses also filed police reports about the incident at the steakhouse.
Lorenzo was arrested at the St. George Police Station on April 24 after officers went to interview the alleged victim.
She told police that Lorenzo’s “cold hands [her] Citing the affidavit, the media outlet reported that while he was in the lobby, his “skin” was removed.
In body camera footage released by police, the girl said that apart from the “physical aspect,” she was “distressed mentally” by what had happened.
Lorenzo was booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane and released on bond.
She is due to appear in court in June.
In Utah, sexual assault is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
