Woman employed by Utah AG's Office who yanked down teens skirt for being too short in viral video learns her fate

A 49-year-old woman in Utah who previously worked for the state Attorney General’s Office has formally admitted wrongdoing when she was caught on video pulling down the skirt of a teenage girl inside of a busy restaurant earlier this year because she believed the 19-year-old’s garment was too short. Footage of the incident went viral on social media, garnering over 1.2 million views on TikTok.

Ida Ann Lorenzo on Tuesday appeared before Fifth District Court Judge Jay T. Winward where she pleaded no contest to one count of misdemeanor sexual battery, Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX reported . Specifically, Lorenzo admitted that she “knowingly and intentionally” touched “the buttocks of another person under the circumstances she should have known would cause affront or alarm.”

Under the terms of a deal reached with prosecutors, Lorenzo’s plea will be held in abeyance for one year, meaning the court will hold off on entering a judgment of conviction. Provided she does not break any laws during the subsequent year, completes a mental health evaluation, and has no contact with the victim, the case against her will be dismissed.

Should Lorenzo fail to comply with the terms of the deal, the court may accept her guilty plea and reportedly make her subject to a sentence of up to 180 days in jail.

KTVX reported that Winward did not officially sign the plea agreement on Tuesday, but he did not give any indication that he was opposed to it.

The station previously reported that at the time of Lorenzo’s arrest, she had only been a few weeks into a new job as a legal secretary with the Utah Attorney General’s Office. The day after she was taken into custody, Lorenzo was reportedly fired.

As previously reported , the incident took place on April 20, 2024, at the Sakura Japanese Steakhouse in St. George, Utah, 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 her 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 the station. She was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane, Utah, and released after posting bond a short time later.

The post Woman employed by Utah AG’s Office who yanked down teens skirt for being too short in viral video learns her fate first appeared on Law & Crime .