Suspended South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins got a major career update after she was initially charged with assault and kidnapping on Aug. 31.
She had been suspended from the women’s college basketball team ever since and did not accompany her teammates to the White House in September to be honored by President Biden for their national championship season.
Watkins had charges of first-degree assault and battery and kidnapping dismissed this week.
USC police previously arrested Ashlyn Watkins following an altercation outside of an on-campus dorm.
The 21-year-old Watkins, a junior forward for the Gamecocks, allegedly assaulted the victim by “forcefully grabbing her face, pulling her by her arms, and pushing her,” and 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 warrant states her actions were captured by video surveillance cameras.
Court records showed Watkins’ charges were dismissed Nov. 1.
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The records further show that a judge dismissed the charges against Ashlyn Watkins because she completed a pre-trial intervention program.
The Richland County Fifth Judicial Circuit states that the program “provides first-time offenders with an alternative to traditional prosecution in the criminal justice system.” Participants are “required to perform community service, make restitution to their victims, and to participate in individual and group counseling.”
Watkins averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season as part of South Carolina’s undefeated 2024 NCAA National Championship team.
South Carolina Star Ashlyn Watkins Returns To The Team
South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins appears to be no longer suspended.
South Carolina announced that Watkins has returned to practice.
“With the dismissal of the legal charges, South Carolina junior forward Ashlyn Watkins has returned to team activities beginning with practice today,” the team said in a statement on Wednesday, according to The Herald.
She is expected to play an even bigger role with the team when she returns to the basketball court.
