COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) ― Two trusted sources close to WIS News 10 confirmed Wednesday that the suspension of University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball player, Ashlyn Watkins, has been lifted following her arrest on Saturday.
A spokesperson for USC’s athletic department told WIS that per policy, any athlete arrested is suspended. That spokesperson would not confirm on the record if Watkins was suspended at any time.
Watkins was charged with assault and kidnapping after an incident at an on-campus affiliated apartment complex, but maintained her innocence through her lawyer, Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland.
According to a USC police incident report, Watkins was in an argument with a female juvenile at 650 Lincoln street early Saturday morning. The report states officers found the juvenile being restrained by Watkins from jumping over a ledge at the building’s parking garage.
The juvenile initially told police Watkins hit her multiple times, however later said Watkins never hit her.
A first-degree assault and battery charge is a felony, which means if convicted, Watkins could face up to 10 years in prison just for that charge.
WIS News 10 spoke with local attorney, Rep. Seth Rose, D-Richland, to better understand the kidnapping charge.
He said South Carolina’s kidnapping statute needs to change for several reasons.
“A concern, I think most people would be shocked to learn, is restricting someone’s movement for a moment in time is kidnapping,” said Rose.
Rose said when law enforcement charges a person with kidnapping it’s often heavy-handed if the person isn’t responsible for an abduction. A kidnapping charge is considered a felony punishable by up to 30 years if convicted of the crime.
Rose said misconceptions surrounding kidnapping is reason alone that the statute should change for South Carolina.
“The kidnapping statute needs to be changed, because under the current law, if you restrict someone’s movement for an instant, for a moment, you are guilty of kidnapping. That defies logic that the general public would see, when you see so and so arrested for kidnapping you would rightfully think that they’ve thrown someone in the back of their car and gone for a ride, or they’ve locked someone in their basement, that’s not what has to happen,” said Rose.
According to an arrest warrant, police said Watkins grabbed the juvenile’s head and forced her to walk down a hall.
The warrant says the victim was able to escape, pull a fire alarm leading police and fire to respond. As for the first-degree assault and battery charge, Watkins faces up to 10 years in prison.
Rose said if anyone does something with the intent to harm another person, and lays hands on that person, it is considered assault and battery.
“But if I do something with the intent to harm you, and I lay hands on you that’s assault and battery, and then we start deciphering what level of assault and battery this is,” said Rose.
Both a second and third-degree assault and battery charge are considered misdemeanors, while a first-degree charge is a felony.
Watkins posted a $30,000 personal recognizance bond and her first appearance in court is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 25.
Rose, whose district includes USC’s campus, said he has spoken to prosecutors and will be working on a revision to the state law and its definition of “a mere moment” sufficing as a kidnapping or abduction charge.
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