COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina national championship-winning forward Ashlyn Watkins was arrested Saturday on charges of assault and battery and kidnapping.
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, which also did not list an attorney for Watkins.
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.
She is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 25.
A warrant filed by the University of South Carolina Police Department and obtained by WLTX-TV said Watkins assaulted the victim by “forcefully grabbing her face, pulling her arms and pushing.”
The warrant said Watkins picked up the victim against her will and carried her. It said Watkins “grabbed the victim’s head and forced her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving.”
The victim eventually got free and pulled a fire alarm, according to the warrant, which led to police and fire personnel arriving at the site. The warrant said the victim was treated for injuries that were described as not life-threatening.
A women’s basketball spokeswoman said in a text to The Associated Press 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 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.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
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