A jury trial has been scheduled for former Republican state Sen. Mike Jorgenson on March 18 in his misdemeanor battery case.

Jorgenson, 64, of Hayden Lake, is accused of throwing a now-former employee of his restaurant to the ground over a dispute about the employee's pay.

Jorgenson entered a not guilty plea to the charge in Kootenai County, which stems from the incident at his restaurant, The Copa.

The alleged victim, a bartender and server Benjamin Chavez III, 41, told deputies he found out his wages had been cut when picking up his paycheck and confronted Jorgenson. He became enraged, yelled for Chavez to get out of the restaurant then threw Chavez to the ground, witnesses told Kootenai County Sheriff's Department deputies.

Robert Romero, Jorgenson's Coeur d'Alene attorney, didn't return a call seeking comment Thursday.

Jorgenson served three terms in the Idaho Senate. He lost a bid for a fourth term to current state Sen. Steve Vick, R-Dalton Gardens.

Jorgenson and his wife, Cynthia, opened The Copa in 2010, located at 9265 N. Government Way.