COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina athletics department provided an update on women's basketball star Ashlyn Watkins' status with the team following her arrest over the weekend on an assault and kidnapping charge.
In response to a question from News19 Tuesday asking if Watkins was suspended, a spokesperson for the athletics department said she did not have a formal statement to provide. However, she did state that athletics department policy for any student-athlete who was been arrested is that he/she is suspended from the team and all team activities while the situation is being investigated.
Watkins, 20, was arrested early Saturday morning following an incident at 650 Lincoln, an on campus-student housing building at the school.
News19 requested an incident report on the investigation which the school provided Tuesday. It reveals the alleged victim in the incident went to the housing building to visit friends, including Watkins. At some point, the two began arguing.
According to warrants filed by University of South Carolina Police, Watkins assaulted the victim by "forcefully grabbing her face, pulling her by her arms, and pushing her."
The warrant states that Watkins also picked up the victim against her will and carried her. It goes on to say that Watkins "grabbed the victim's head and forced her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving." The latter allegation led to an additional charge of kidnapping.
The warrant states that the victim eventually got away and pulled a fire alarm, which led to the arrival of police and fire personnel. She was treated for injuries the warrant described as not life-threatening.
The warrant also states the incident was captured on video surveillance cameras.
News19 was in court for her bond hearing Saturday afternoon. No cameras were allowed during the proceeding, but prosecutors said both Watkins and the victim--who was referred to as a minor--knew each other.
Watkins' attorney, Todd Rutherford, told News19 Saturday night that he and his client are asking for the public's patience. “We believe once everybody has a full grasp of what happened, this will end up being a misunderstanding," Rutherford said. "What we know for certain is that Ashlyn did not assault anyone and she did not kidnap anyone."
Watkins was granted a $30,000 personal recognizance bond and released from jail Saturday afternoon. Watkins' next court appearance will take place October 25, which is 17 days before the women's basketball team starts their season against Michigan on November 11th.
Watkins is a junior on the women's team and was a leading contributor during their most recent national championship run. She is a Columbia native and graduated from Cardinal Newman High School.