Man pleads guilty to stalking, harassing UConn star Paige Bueckers
Paige Bueckers is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft next spring
A 40-year-old Oregon man pleaded guilty to stalking UConn star Paige Bueckers on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Karie Barnes.
Robert Cole Parmalee struck a plea deal and officially pleaded guilty to a second-degree stalking charge on Wednesday in a Connecticut court. He received a one-year suspended sentence and three years’ probation under the deal. He is now barred from the state of Connecticut and all arenas, hotels and practice facilities where the UConn women’s basketball team is present. Parmalee has been banned from all WNBA arenas and practice facilities, too.
Parmalee must also continue to abide by a protective order that has been in effect since mid-September. That order will be in place until 2064. Parmalee must now comply with treatment recommendations for his mental health, too, and he is set to fly to Washington on Wednesday night.
"My client had requested that [Parmalee] return home, get the evaluation and treatment that he needs, and that she be left alone," said attorney Robert Britt, who represented Bueckers at Wednesday's hearing. "We're very happy with that."
UConn Police first arrested Parmalee in September after several incidents in which he was accused of threatening and harassing Bueckers. They first learned of him in June after receiving “rambling” emails from him in which he claimed to be a member of the royal family and wanted to marry a member of the women’s basketball team.
He posted about Bueckers multiple times on social media, including once when he sent an apparent fake wedding invitation and an engagement ring. He also made threatening posts about her, her friends and her family. Parmalee also reportedly sent Bueckers videos on Instagram earlier this year. She never responded.
Parmalee was also arrested in August after he was spotted walking on a highway near Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. He told police when he was picked up that he was on his way to see Bueckers, and that he was going to propose to her and get her kicked out of school.
Parmalee has been held on bond since his arrest. He was charged with breach of peace, electronic stalking and harassment.
Bueckers has averaged 20.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game with the Huskies this season. She had 27 points in their 33-point win over Iowa State on Tuesday. Bueckers is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft this spring.
