Man pleads guilty to stalking UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers
Robert Cole Parmalee appears with his public defender Kathryn Mallach for his arraignment at Rockville Superior Court on September 16
By Jamie Barton, CNN
(CNN) — A man, who police say posted multiple times on social media about UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers before traveling to Connecticut to try and meet her, pleaded guilty to a stalking charge on Wednesday.
Robert Cole Parmalee, 40, of Grants Pass, Oregon, received a one-year suspended sentence and three years’ probation from Judge Moira L. Buckley at Rockville Superior Court.
He was arrested in August near Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut – roughly 40 minutes away from UConn’s campus in Storrs – on unrelated charges, according to a police document. The document states he told state police at the time that he was on his way to see Bueckers and posted on social media that he intended to give her an engagement ring in person. He was arrested again in September after the women’s basketball star expressed concerns for her safety.
Having originally been charged with stalking, harassment and a breach of peace, the charges against Parmalee were later reduced to one count of stalking.
The plea agreement states that Parmalee must abide by a protective order which had already been taken out and lasts until 2064. He is not allowed to enter the state of Connecticut during his probation period, nor is he allowed to enter any arenas, hotels or practice facilities where the UConn women’s basketball team is present.
Parmalee is also banned from any WNBA arena or practice facility where any team is playing, according to the court document.
A further condition of his probation is that he will attend the necessary mental health evaluation, counseling and treatment.
In court, Parmalee apologized to UConn, the state of Connecticut and its residents, according to ESPN.
Bueckers’ lawyer, Robert Britt, said, per ESPN: “My client had requested that (Parmalee) return home, get the evaluation and treatment that he needs, and that she be left alone. We’re very happy with that.”
Bueckers had no comment when contacted by CNN through a UConn spokesperson.
CNN has reached out to Parmalee’s public defender, Kathryn Mallach, for comment.
Parmalee had posted multiple photos and videos on social media referencing his desire to marry Bueckers, according to police.
In one, according to a police report, Parmalee referred to a photo of Bueckers and an unnamed man, and wrote: “This is worth it for this guy, huh? … This is just one guy, I’ll sacrifice him, no problems, no questions asked.”
In another post, he discussed bringing Bueckers flowers and finding her mother’s home, the document states.
The 2021 AP Player of the Year told police that she had never interacted with Parmalee either online or in person, but that she had begun to worry for the safety of her family and friends, so she decided to give a statement to university police.
The-CNN-Wire
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