Authorities in Connecticut have arrested and charged a 40-year-old Oregon man with stalking and harassing UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers.
Robert Cole Parmalee was served an arrest warrant Friday by UConn police while he was at Hartford Correctional Center and held on $100,000 bond after appearing in court on Monday, ESPN reported.
Parmalee was officially charged with breach of peace, electronic stalking and harassment.
UConn became aware of Parmalee in June after the school’s communications department had received “rambling” emails where he claimed he was a member of the royal family and that he wanted to marry a member of UConn’s women’s basketball team, according to UConn Police.
Parmalee allegedly made dozens of social media posts that reference Bueckers and allegedly made posts that appeared threatening in nature to the UConn hoops star, her friends and family.
In a post on his TikTok account, according to ESPN, he threatened to kill himself along with others “if I cannot live with a woman of my choosing,” seemingly referring to Bueckers.
Other posts on social media referenced Bueckers and it seemed that Parmalee posted fake wedding invites along with a picture of a diamond engagement ring.
Parmalee had originally been arrested on Aug. 27 by Connecticut State Police while he was walking on a limited-access highway near Bradley International Airport and told officers that he was on his way to see Bueckers.
WTNH reported that a UConn Police report stated, “During this interaction, Parmelee declared that he had fathered >17K children and was going to see Paige [UCONN WBB Player Paige Bueckers].”
State police arrested Parmalee after it came back that he was wanted on an outstanding warrant in Oregon and he was facing extradition back to the state when UConn learned that the state had planned to dismiss the charges, according to ESPN.
Judge Rick Rubino issued a protective order against Parmalee during Monday’s court appearance.
“You cannot assault, threaten, abuse, harass, follow, interfere with or stalk that person,” Rubino told Parmalee in court.
Parmalee will be due back in court on Oct. 22.
He was represented by public defender Katie Mallach, who told the court that UConn had officially trespassed Parmalee and that he would follow the order.
She did take exception to the electronic stalking charge, telling the court that it requires an intent to kill, injure, harass or intimidate a person, and I don’t see any of that in the warrant or in the police report.”
Bueckers had told authorities, according to an affidavit for an arrest warrant application, that Parmalee had started sending her videos on Instagram in February and the UConn women’s basketball star told university police that she worried about the safety for herself, her teammates and family.
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