The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Cops: Woman charged after caught on video attacking sailor
BERLIN — A Southington woman has been charged with assaulting a member of the Navy who she accused of wearing a fake uniform in a local pizzeria that was captured on video last weekend, police said.
Lori Desjardins, 45, turned herself in Thursday on charges of third-degree assault and second-degree breach of peace, police said Friday. A CVS representative said Desjardins is no longer employed by the company.
The incident occurred at Central Pizza on Mill Street around 11:45 p.m. last Saturday, police said.
Police said Desjardins physically assaulted a customer in an altercation that was caught on video and widely shared on social media.
According to the social media post, Desjardins accused Sean Nolte Jr. of wearing a fake military uniform.
Nolte is a fire control technician and a student at the Naval Submarine School in Groton. He joined the Navy in July 2020, according to a Navy spokesperson.
Nolte told officers he was with a friend at the takeout area of the pizzeria when they saw Desjardins walking in and out of the restaurant multiple times, staring at him, according to the woman’s arrest warrant.
Once she got her food at the takeout window, Desjardins walked past Nolte and made a comment about his smile, the warrant stated. He then asked Desjardins what she said and if she was all right, according to the arrest warrant.
Desjardins then began yelling at him about his military uniform, saying he wasn’t a real U.S. service member and used expletives to describe him, the arrest warrant said.
In a Facebook post, Nolte said he showed the woman his military ID, but she claimed it was also fake. Desjardins proceeded to show him her dependent military ID since her husband is in the U.S. Army, Nolte said in the post.
In the video, the woman can be seen throwing Nolte’s hat and slapping him.
“This is disgusting,” she said as she threw his hat at him. “You disgrace the
USA,” she later tells him before she walked out of the pizzeria.
Nolte said since he was in uniform, “I must maintain professionalism.”
“So I stand there and proceed to wish her a nice day,” Nolte said in his Facebook post.
Police said Desjardins appeared to be intoxicated. Desjardins’ husband told officers he was not aware of the incident, the warrant stated.
That night, Desjardins was supposed to meet a friend for dinner, but the friend did not show up, the warrant stated. Desjardins arrived home shortly afterward with a pizza, according to the arrest warrant.
Desjardins told officers she didn’t remember hitting Nolte, the arrest warrant stated.
“I am very sorry for my actions and do not believe I was in the right frame of mind,” she told officers, according to the warrant.
Desjardins was released on $10,000 bond and scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in New Britain next Thursday, according to police.