NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — The woman accused of berating and assaulting a uniformed Navy sailor at a Berlin pizza shop earlier this month was set to appear before a judge on Thursday, however, the court date was pushed to October at the last minute.
Lori Desjardins will now appear at Superior Court in New Britain on Oct. 27 to answer to charges of assault and breach of peace stemming from the Sept. 11 incident at Central Pizza in Berlin.
The 45-year-old Southington woman is accused of allegedly berating and slapping Sean Nolte Jr., who told police in the incident report that the stinging pain last about two hours.
The exchange was caught on video and quickly went viral.
“This is disgusting! Disgusting! Show his uniform. Show his uniform,” Desjardins yelled at Nolte, who was wearing his Navy fatigues. “You disgrace the U.S.! You disgrace the U.S.A!”
She claimed the uniform that Nolte was wearing was “fake.”
In a Facebook post, Nolte, who is stationed in Groton and is attending the Naval Submarine School, said he attempted to reason with the woman. He said he pulled out his military ID to show that he was in fact in the U.S. armed forces.
“Being in uniform, I must maintain professionalism, so I stand there and proceed to wish her a nice day,” Nolte wrote on Facebook. “Well, looks like some of our people can’t recognize authenticity when they see it.”
In a statement to police, Desjardins, who allegedly hit Nolte twice, said she has a history of mental health issues and alcohol abuse. Her statement went on to say that Nolte was “being sarcastic.”
“I believe he was lying and not actually in the military, which I take very seriously,” she continued. “I am very sorry for my actions.
In the arrest warrant, police said they were able to identify Desjardins after she was recognized by an officer with the Southington Police Department who said he had numerous interactions with her.
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