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A star player for the defending national champion University of South Carolina women’s basketball program was arrested and charged with assault and battery – and kidnapping – in connection with an incident over the Labor Day weekend.
Ashlyn Watkins, 20, of Columbia, S.C. was charged by University police following an alleged altercation on Saturday (August 31, 2024) with a minor at at student housing center located at 650 Lincoln Street. The 6-foot-3 power forward was released on a $30,000 personal recognizance bond – meaning she did not have to put up any money to secure her release.
According to a campus police warrant obtained by WLTX TV-19 (CBS – Columbia, S.C.) Watkins stands accused of “forcefully grabbing (the victim’s) face, pulling her arms and pushing her.” She also allegedly “grabbed the victim’s head and forced her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving.”
The incident – which was reportedly captured on surveillance video – ended when the alleged victim managed to escape from Watkins and pull a fire alarm.
The victim was treated for “non-life-threatening injuries” following the alleged attack…
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Speaking of video recordings, according to WLTX’s report “no cameras were allowed” at Watkins’ bond hearing on Saturday afternoon – presumably due to the fact the alleged victim in the case is a minor.
Watkins’ attorney – a name familiar to our audience – pleaded for “patience.”
“Once everybody has a full grasp of what happened, this will end up being a misunderstanding,” Watkins’ attorney, state representative Todd Rutherford told the station. “What we know for certain is that Ashlyn did not assault anyone and she did not kidnap anyone.”
While Rutherford’s credibility and objectivity on such matters are obviously up for discussion, prominent Palmetto State attorney Shaun Kent pointedly questioned the kidnapping charge in a video posted to his law firm’s TikTok page.
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“Our kidnapping statute in South Carolina is one of the most nebulous statutes that is probably overused,” according to Kent.
Our media outlet has submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for all documents related to this incident – and the surveillance video associated with it.
A rising junior, Watkins averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season for South Carolina as the Gamecocks captured their second national title under head coach Dawn Staley. Watkins won SEC player of the week honors in early March after scoring 21 points against Arkansas and 13 points against Tennessee coming off the bench. Watkins also led South Carolina in blocked shots and was the first player in the history of the program to dunk a basketball – something she has done twice.
As with anyone accused of committing any crime, Watkins is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as she may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against her.
Count on our media outlet to provide any pertinent updates related to this story…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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6 comments
Of course Todd Rutherford steps in, he’s so jealous of the attention Ben Crump receives. What is the university’s policy of a student committing a felony on campus property? Is she still allowed to live or step foot on campus? If she’s banned from being 1000 yards of the victim, that pretty much means she can’t be on campus if the victim is on campus. Let’s see if Staley has the balls to boot her from the team.
I know of a young man who did less and was out of the university while still in Alvin S Glenn – he actually got the notice delivered to him there before bond was set.
Trash
Third National Championship under Dawn Staley!
what about the possible lesbo issue?
Nobody concerned that this type of activity might be taking place in the presence of their daughters?
Well the coach has been “roommates” with Lisa Boyer since she got here, one would think that USC would pay their coaching staff enough that they wouldn’t have to have roommates. Have you ever wondered why Lisa Boyer hasn’t taken a head coaching position even after three national championships? Is nobody interested in hiring her as a head coach?