Photo by Sara D. Davis/Getty Images
When Francine Jones assaulted a transgender woman at a Giant grocery store in May, police charged her with simple assault. After further investigation into the incident, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. has also charged Jones with bias-related assault. Authorities added the second charge on July 11, according to spokesperson William Miller.
Jones was a security guard who worked for a company hired by Giant on H Street NE. D.C. Police arrested her after they viewed footage where she “forcibly removed” Ebony Belcher from the store on May 18, Dustin Sternbeck of the Metropolitan Police Department told DCist.
Belcher told NBC that Jones opened the door of the store’s women’s restroom “and started calling me derogatory names.” She then told her that “you guys cannot keep coming in here and using our women’s restroom. They did not pass the law yet,” Belcher continued.
D.C., however, has had a law on the books for more than a decade that allows people to use the bathroom that fits their gender identity. However, the passage of recent law in North Carolina, which requires that people use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender on their birth certificate, has contributed to some confusion in the District.
Jones’ hate crime charge comes amid tension in D.C.’s transgender community after advocates say MPD waited too long to disclose the shooting of Dee Dee Dodds, and a group of transgender women were misgendered and harassed by staffers at a public pool earlier this month.
Jones initially faced up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine for the simple assault charge, according to Miller. But with the bias charge added, she could face a maximum of 270 days in jail and a fine. Jones pleaded not guilty to both charges at her arraignment last Thursday, and she is slated for another hearing on August 19.