Advertisement Upstate transgender HS student responds to allegations after arrest at school Kinsey "Z" Evans, 18, says, "I haven't put my hands on anybody." Share Shares Copy Link Copy

An incident involving a transgender student at a Pickens County high school career center in August has come to light three months later, according to information released by the Pickens County Sheriff's Office.Kinsey Evans, 18, was arrested and charged with assault and disturbing school, documents showed. The incident took place on Aug. 17 in the cafeteria of the Pickens County Career and Technology Center, on Chastain Road in Liberty, according to an incident report. School resource officer Carmen Lehmann said in the report that Evans questioned her about an issue with the bathroom. "Evans is transgender student and was accommodated last year by being allowed to utilize the male faculty/staff restroom on a particular hallway," Lehmann said. Lehmann said a day before the encounter, Evans went into the male student restroom and several boys exited. A school official later requested that Evans continue to use the male faculty/staff restroom. During the encounter the next day, Evans screamed at Lehmann, "You told me last year that I could use any restroom that I wanted to use," the report quoted Evans. Lehmann wrote in the report that she told Evans that she never told anyone they could use specific restrooms. Evans then began to "scream obscenities" that continued through the rest of the encounter, the report said. Documents said Lehmann began to walk away, and tried several times to refer Evans to other school officials, according to the report. Evans followed Lehmann as she walked toward the office, and at one point threw his drawstring bag at Lehmann, which landed at Lehmann's feet, the report said. When Lehmann got to the office, she tried to close the door, "in the hopes that Kensie would calm down, but Kensie slammed into the door, shoved me and continued to be belligerent," Lehmann wrote in the report. Lehman handcuffed and arrested the student, as Evans "continued to physically fight and curse loudly," with the help of other school officials, including the assistant director, the report said.However in a phone interview with WYFF News 4, Evans said he had had a conversation with the officer and believed this year that he would be allowed to use the male student bathroom.Evans said he was standing up for his rights as a transgender male and thought he had the support of the officer. He said he felt betrayed and hurt but never put his hands on or touched her. Evans said he is non-confrontational and said if he thought he couldn't use the male student bathroom, he wouldn't have.He said he also asked all of the male students in the bathroom if they had a problem with him using the restroom and they all said no. The Pickens County School District on Thursday issued a statement on the incident. District spokesperson John Eby repeated the chronology of the incident as presented by the arresting officer, calling Lehmann a long-term deputy with the Sheriff's Office, who also has experience in the schools. Eby also said Evans discussed the bathroom "situation" with school administrators twice before the confrontation with Lehmann: once the day before, and once that morning. Eby ended the statement with: "We recognize that this incident touches on on going national conversations about the rights of transgender students in our society, as well as the role of law enforcement in our schools. In light of this reality, we must emphasize that the arrest in this situation was not the result of the student's attempt to use a male restroom. The student was arrested solely for assaulting and threatening an officer during an altercation which the student appeared to initiate. "It has been and will continue to be our practice to work with transgender students and their parents on a case by case basis to provide accommodations for their safety, privacy and well-being. The right to such accommodations extends to all students. We also are continuing to monitor the national and regional legal proceedings related to this issue and will comply with the law as it evolves."