According to The Post and Courier, charges of first-degree assault, battery and kidnapping were dismissed last week for South Carolina star Ashlyn Watkins.
Watkins was arrested in August after an alleged incident at student housing on the South Carolina campus. Watkins was accused of “forcibly” grabbing the victim’s face and later her head and “forcing her to walk down the hallway.” The woman then managed to escape and pulled a fire alarm.
Watkins was charged with assault, battery and kidnapping, and she was released on bail. According to the report, her charges were officially dismissed on November 1. Court records show Watkins also completed Pre-Trial Intervention, which allows first-time non-violent offenders in South Carolina to have charges dropped if they meet a certain set of requirements. No further details are known.
Watkins was quickly suspended from the program after her arrest and has been away from the team ever since. She didn’t fly with the Gamecocks last month to celebrate their national championship victory at the White House with President Joe Biden, and she missed their narrow season-opening victory over Michigan in Las Vegas on Monday night.
Watkins was a key figure for the Gamecocks last season. She averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore while helping the program to a perfect 38-0. They also defeated Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the national championship game earlier this year to claim the program’s second title in the past three seasons. They were the first undefeated team to win a national championship since UConn did so in 2016.
Now that her legal battle is behind her, it is unclear when Watkins will rejoin the team. No. 1 South Carolina will take on No. 9 NC State next Sunday.
