Suspended South Carolina F Ashlyn Watkins has charges dismissed

The first-degree assault and kidnapping charges against South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins were dismissed last Friday.

Public court records for Richland County, S.C., showed the pair of charges were listed as “Dismissed Not Indicted,” and indicated that Watkins completed pre-trial intervention available to first-time offenders.

Watkins, 21, was arrested Aug. 31 and charged with first-degree assault and kidnapping following an incident at a student housing and retail center. The arrest triggered an automatic team suspension under athletic department policy.

Dawn Staley, head coach of the defending national champion Gamecocks, said in September that the program was “not going to move (to reinstate Watkins) until the situation changes.”

Watkins was scheduled for a court appearance Oct. 25 but it was delayed.

Per her arrest warrant, the Columbia, S.C., native allegedly picked up an individual and carried her without her consent, then “grabbed the victim’s head and forced her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving.”

This came after Watkins allegedly assaulted the individual by “forcefully grabbing her face, pulling her by her arms, and pushing her.” The individual was later treated for non-life-threatening injuries after allegedly escaping and pulling a fire alarm.

Watkins’ lawyer told WLTX in September that his client neither assaulted nor kidnapped anyone.

Watkins, a 6-foot-3 junior, averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds in 38 games last season for the undefeated Gamecocks.