- Ashlyn Watkins is accused of forcefully grabbing the victim by her face
A South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball star was arrested on Saturday on assault and battery and kidnapping charges.
Ashlyn Watkins was arrested in relation to an alleged assault that occurred at a student housing center at the University of South Carolina.
Watkins, who won a national championship with the Gamecocks earlier this year, was accused of ‘forcefully grabbing [the victim] her face, pulling her arms and pushing,’ according to WLTX-TV.
The forward also picked the victim up against the will and carried her, the warrant filed by USC Police read.
It added that Watkins ‘grabbed the victim’s head and forced her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving.’ This allegation led to the added charge of kidnapping.
South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball star Ashlyn Watkins has been arrested
The victim allegedly managed to get away and pulled a fire alarm, which led to the arrival of police and fire personnel.
The victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, while Watkins was read her rights and reportedly confessed. The warrant does not state what she said.
The incident is also said to have been captured on surveillance cameras.
‘We believe once everybody has a full grasp of what happened, this will end up being a misunderstanding,’ Watkins’ attorney Todd Rutherford said, via News19.
‘What we know for certain is that Ashlyn did not assault anyone and she did not kidnap anyone.’
Online judicial records for Richland County show that Watkins was granted a $30,000 personal recognizance bond.
She was ordered to have no direct or indirect contact with the victim, who was not named in the records.
Watkins was ordered to stay 1,000 feet from the victim’s home, work, school and place of worship. She would be permitted to travel out of state for basketball games and practices.
Watkins, who won a national championship, faces assault and battery and kidnapping charges
She is scheduled to appear in court on October 25.
The school was aware of Watkins’ arrest and was continuing to gather information,’ a women’s basketball spokesperson told the Associated Press.
Watkins is a rising 6-foot-3 junior, who 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. Watkins also led the team with 91 blocks.
She became the first player in program history to dunk in a game during her freshman season, then added a second one last season.
