A Utah woman, Ida Lorenzo, 49, who went viral and was labeled a “Karen” after allegedly pulling down a teenager’s skirt in public, has accepted a plea deal on a misdemeanor sexual battery charge. The incident, which took place on April 20 at a St. George eatery, was partly captured on camera and quickly gained attention online.
The video, posted on April 21, shows Lorenzo confronting a young woman over her skirt, which she deemed too short and revealing. In the clip, Lorenzo can be heard saying, “I happen to work for the state, and if I have to watch your ass cheeks hanging out again I will call CPS,” referencing Utah’s Division of Child Protective Services. The video, recorded by a friend of the young woman, was captioned: “Karen gets upset my friend is wearing a mini skirt, so she aggressively grabs it, yanks it down and says ‘you’re probably underage, you probably shouldn’t be wearing that’ then causes a scene in a busy restaurant.”
Although the young woman in the skirt is not visible in the video, Lorenzo is seen addressing a group of young girls who defend their friend, asserting, “She’s over 18. She is 19 years old” and “You don’t get to touch her.” They also urge Lorenzo to call the police, which she eventually did the following day after seeing the video circulate on social media.
@ccsnowwww Last one got taken down, Heres the storytime until i can get original renewed. Report has been filed
♬ original sound – cc snow
Lorenzo claimed to police that she confronted the young woman because she believed her clothing was too explicit, especially with children present. She told law enforcement that she felt it was her responsibility to address the situation and attempted to pull the skirt down to cover what she described as “exposed genitalia.” However, when asked why she touched the young woman, whom she believed to be a minor, Lorenzo insisted she only touched the skirt, not the woman herself.
The situation escalated when the young woman, later identified as the victim, came forward to police on April 22, stating that she had been sexually assaulted. She recounted how she felt cold hands go up her skirt, touching her buttocks before her skirt was pulled. The victim described the encounter as startling and violating, and several witnesses corroborated her account. The victim also clarified that she was wearing underwear and shorts under her skirt, making it impossible for her to have been exposing herself as Lorenzo claimed.
Lorenzo was initially charged with sexual battery as a class A misdemeanor, but the charge was reduced to a class B misdemeanor in a plea deal filed on August 7. She entered a plea in abeyance, no contest, meaning no sentence will be imposed for a year if she complies with the terms, which include not committing any crimes, avoiding contact with the victim, and undergoing a mental health evaluation.
Lorenzo’s attorney, Susanne Gustin, stated that Lorenzo has declined to comment on the plea agreement. Following the incident, Lorenzo was terminated from her job as a legal secretary with the Utah attorney general’s office after less than two months of employment. The termination letter cited her non-compliance with policies and standards related to performance.