A female security guard who was arrested for assault Wednesday after removing a man who identifies as female from the women’s restroom of a Giant grocery store in Washington, D.C. pleaded not guilty during her first court appearance Thursday morning.

Arriving in her security guard uniform, Francine Jones listened as a D.C. Superior Court judge found probable cause that she had committed simple assault.

NBC Washington reports that Jones was arrested and charged with assault after a man told police she called him derogatory names and forcibly removed him from the restroom.

The man, who calls himself Ebony Belcher, told reporters that Jones confronted him. “The restroom door came open and all I heard was, ‘I know you are a man,'” he said. “‘You guys cannot keep coming in here using our women’s restroom. They did not pass the law yet.’” Belcher said that the security guard then ordered him to leave, pushing him out of the store.

Belcher went outside and called a transgender activist friend, who urged him to contact the police. The police arrested the security guard, categorizing the incident in their report as a “hate crime.”

Giant issued the following statement to NBC Washington: “As this matter involves a third party that provides security services for Giant and there’s an ongoing criminal investigation, all inquiries related to the incident at the H Street Giant should be directed to the local police for a comment at this time.”

Jones was released on her own recognizance and ordered to stay away from the man she is accused of assaulting. She is due back in court in July.