Newly released police body camera footage shows the arrest of a 48-year-old Utah woman who allegedly pulled down the skirt of a teenage girl inside of a busy restaurant last month because she believed the 19-year-old’s garment was too short.
After video of the incident went viral with over 13 million views on TikTok, Ida Ann Lorenzo was charged with one misdemeanor count of sexual battery.
The incident took place on April 20 at the Sakura Japanese Steakhouse in St. George, Utah, which is about 300 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. The footage from that day, which begins shortly after Lorenzo allegedly yanked on the teen’s skirt, shows the older woman defending her conduct and even scolding the teen and her friends over the attire.
“I happen to work for the state, and if I have to watch your a– cheeks hanging out again, I will call CPS (Child Protective Services),” Lorenzo can be seen saying in the video.
In body camera video obtained by Law&Crime, Lorenzo on April 22, continued to defend her actions when speaking with investigators about the incident.
Asked why Lorenzo thought it was appropriate to walk over and touch the victim, Lorenzo tells the detective that she did not actually touch the teen, only her skirt. She asserted that she wanted to pull it down to cover the victim’s “butt cheeks.”
Lorenzo further claimed that she first tried to tell the victim her skirt was too short, but was rebuffed, and decided she needed to “take action” to protect the victim by “covering up her private parts.”
“I got a standing ovation from everyone that was seated behind me,” Lorenzo tells the detective.
“That’s totally beside the point,” the detective responds.
The victim, who spoke to police on April 23 along with several others who were present during the incident, told the detective that Lorenzo did not try to speak to her before she felt “someone’s cold hands on my skin,” which she initially thought it was one of her friends. She said she was shocked to realize that it was the hand of a woman whom she had never met.
The teen victim also explained to the detective that she had “shorts and underwear on” at the time, which further undercut Lorenzo’s claim that the teen’s private parts were exposed.
Footage from April 24 shows Lorenzo at the police station speaking with the same detective about the incident.
During the conversation, the detective explained to Lorenzo that due to the claims made against her and the fact that there is video footage of the incident, she was being taken into custody and charged with sexual battery.
“You’re arresting me?” a shocked Lorenzo can be heard saying.
Lorenzo is then handcuffed and escorted to the back of a squad car waiting just outside of the station. She was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane, Utah, and released after posting bond a short time later. She is scheduled to appear in court next month.
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