A Utah woman who made headlines online and earned the nickname “Karen” after she was accused of pulling down a young woman’s skirt that she thought was too short and revealing in public has agreed to a plea deal on sexual assault charges.
Ida Lorenzo, 49, confronted a young woman in a restaurant in St. George, Utah, on April 20. The argument ended partially on video.
In the video posted on April 21, she appears to boast about working for the government while reprimanding the young woman for her skirt.
“I happen to work for the state, and if I see your ass cheeks hanging out one more time, I’m calling child services,” Lorenzo says in the clip, referring to Utah’s child protective services agency.
The video was recorded by a woman in the group and captioned: “Karen gets upset because my friend is wearing a miniskirt. She aggressively grabs it, rips it off and says ‘You’re probably underage, you probably shouldn’t be wearing that.’ Then she makes a scene in a busy restaurant.”
The young woman in the skirt cannot be seen in the clip.
Lorenzo is seen talking to a group of young girls who are defending their friend, saying, “She’s over 18. She’s 19 years old,” and “You’re not allowed to touch her,” and urging her to call the police.
Lorenzo finally called St. George police on April 21, a day after the incident, after seeing the video on social media. She called 911 and said she was in a state job and that the video was a threat to her life, according to the probable cause affidavit.
She told police she approached a young woman at a restaurant who was wearing “offensive clothing” and exposing her genitals while children were present. Lorenzo told police she felt it was her duty to approach the woman and she attempted to pull down the woman’s skirt to cover “exposed genitalia,” the affidavit states.
An officer asked why Lorenzo, who assumed the young woman was underage, thought it was appropriate to touch her. She replied that she never touched the woman, only her skirt. She told police that the woman and her friends recorded part of the incident and posted it on social media with the tagline “Karen,” the affidavit states.
On April 22, the woman who was said to have worn the short skirt reported to the police and stated that she had been sexually assaulted in the foyer of a restaurant on April 20.
She said Lorenzo confronted her with his back to her and without warning “felt cold hands run up her skirt and touch her buttocks before she felt her skirt being pulled up.” The victim said “she was surprised by the encounter and felt violated,” the affidavit in the probate case states.
The victim and seven other witnesses came forward and filled out their witness statements. The female victim said she was wearing underwear and shorts under her skirt, making it impossible to expose herself.
Lorenzo was charged with sexual abuse as a Class A misdemeanor.
The charge was reduced to a Class B misdemeanor as part of a plea agreement filed Aug. 7, according to Washington County court records.
She pleaded guilty without contesting the plea. Under the agreement, she will not be punished for a year as long as she complies with the terms – she must not commit any crimes, she must not have any contact with the victim, and she must undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Susanne Gustin, Lorenzo’s lawyer, said Tuesday that Lorenzo declined to comment on the settlement.
On the day of her arraignment, Lorenzo received a termination letter from the Utah Attorney General’s Office, where she had worked as a legal secretary for less than two months, Utah News Dispatch reported. The termination letter said she had “failed to successfully complete her probationary period” and cited “her failure to adhere to policies and standards related to performance,” the news site reported.
The Attorney General’s office told NBC News in a brief statement on Tuesday: “We are aware of the situation and are following AGO policies and procedures.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.
