South Carolina national championship-winning forward Ashlyn Watkins was arrested on charges of assault and battery and kidnapping. She was granted a $30,000 personal recognizance bond and ordered to have no contact with the victim. Watkins was also ordered to stay 1,000 feet away from the victim’s home, work, school, and place of worship. She is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 25. According to a warrant filed by the University of South Carolina Police Department, Watkins forcefully grabbed the victim’s face, pulled her arms, and pushed her. She also picked up the victim against her will and carried her, controlling her movement and preventing her from leaving. The victim eventually got free and pulled a fire alarm, leading police and fire personnel to the site.
A women’s basketball spokeswoman for the University of South Carolina stated that the school was aware of Watkins’ arrest and was gathering information. Watkins did not immediately respond to a message on social media seeking comment. Watkins, a rising 6-foot-3 junior, averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds last season for the Gamecocks, who went 38-0 to become the first undefeated national champions since 2016. She also led the team with 91 blocks and became the first player in program history to dunk in a game during her freshman season. Watkins added a second dunk last season.
Online judicial records for Richland County show that Watkins was granted a $30,000 personal recognizance bond and ordered to have no contact with the victim. She was also ordered to stay 1,000 feet from the victim’s home, work, school, and place of worship. Watkins would be permitted to travel out of state for basketball games and practices. A warrant filed by the University of South Carolina Police Department stated that Watkins forcefully grabbed the victim’s face, pulled her arms, and pushed her. Watkins also picked up the victim against her will and carried her, controlling her movement and preventing her from leaving. The victim eventually got free and pulled a fire alarm, leading to police and fire personnel arriving at the site.
The warrant also stated that the victim was treated for injuries described as not life-threatening. A women’s basketball spokeswoman said that the school was aware of Watkins’ arrest and was continuing to gather information. Watkins did not immediately respond to a message on social media seeking comment. Watkins, a rising 6-foot-3 junior, averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds last season for the Gamecocks, who went 38-0 to become the first undefeated national champions since 2016. She also led the team with 91 blocks and became the first player in program history to dunk in a game during her freshman season. Watkins added a second dunk last season.
Watkins is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 25. A warrant filed by the University of South Carolina Police Department stated that she assaulted the victim by forcefully grabbing her face, pulling her arms, and pushing her. Watkins also picked up the victim against her will and carried her, controlling her movement and preventing her from leaving. The victim eventually got free and pulled a fire alarm, leading to police and fire personnel arriving at the site. The victim was treated for injuries described as not life-threatening. Watkins did not immediately respond to a message on social media seeking comment. A women’s basketball spokeswoman said that the school was aware of Watkins’ arrest and was continuing to gather information.
According to online judicial records for Richland County, Watkins was granted a $30,000 personal recognizance bond. She was ordered to have no contact with the victim and stay 1,000 feet away from the victim’s home, work, school, and place of worship. Watkins would be allowed to travel out of state for basketball games and practices. A women’s basketball spokeswoman for the University of South Carolina stated that the school was aware of Watkins’ arrest and was gathering information. Watkins, a rising 6-foot-3 junior, averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds last season for the Gamecocks, who went 38-0 to become the first undefeated national champions since 2016. She also led the team with 91 blocks and made history as the first player in program history to dunk in a game during her freshman season. Watkins added a second dunk last season.
