EL GRANADA — A 20-year-old El Granada man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he tried to force his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend to have sex with him at a San Mateo County beach, according to prosecutors.

Erick Mendez-Corona is charged with one felony count of assault with intent to commit rape, one felony count of attempted sexual battery and one misdemeanor count of completed sexual battery.

The case came to the attention of authorities on Nov. 30, when the ex-girlfriend told a nurse at her high school that Mendez-Corona had sexually assaulted her at Mavericks Beach on Nov. 24, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Mendez-Corona and the victim dated for two months in 2015, and Nov. 24 was the first time they had seen each other since breaking up. Around 8:30 p.m. that night, he picked her up in his white truck and drove to the beach famous for its big waves.

During a walk near the breakers, the victim repeatedly refused Mendez-Corona’s sexual advances until he threw her to the ground, pulled her pants down and tried to force her to have sex, according to prosecutors. The victim yelled at Mendez-Corona to stop, fought him off and left.

Prosecutors said Mendez-Corona made “numerous admissions” during a pretext call with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated the case after being contacted by the school nurse.

On Wednesday, a judge denied Mendez-Corona’s request to be released on his own recognizance. He remains in custody on $500,000 bail and is slated to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 10.