Katie Barnes, ESPN.com
VERNON, Conn. – 40-year-old man arrested for stalking UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers He pleaded guilty to second-degree charges Wednesday in Rockville Superior Court.
Robert Cole Parmalee, of Grants Pass, Oregon, received a one-year suspended sentence and three years probation. Under the plea agreement, Parmalee must comply with a protective order, effective September 16 and last through January 4, 2064, and follow recommendations for treatment for his mental health.
He is banned from entering Connecticut during his three-year probation period.
Additionally, Parmalee is banned from entering arenas, hotels and practice facilities where the UConn women’s basketball team performs. The state attorney also added that the WNBA banned him from all arenas and training facilities.
Parmalee apologized in court to the state of Connecticut, its residents and UConn. According to his lawyer, Parmalee is booked on a flight to Washington on Wednesday evening.
Bueckers and UConn coach Geno Auriemma declined to comment through a spokesman.
“My client asked for this [Parmalee] go home, get the tests and treatment she needs and leave her alone,” said attorney Robert Britt, who represented Bueckers at Wednesday’s hearing. “We are very happy with it.”
Parmalee was arrested by Connecticut State Police on Aug. 27 while walking on a highway near Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. According to UConn police, Parmalee told state police he intended to meet with Bueckers. Before his arrest, Parmalee posted on social media that he was going to Connecticut to propose to Bueckers and get her expelled from UConn.
He has been held on $100,000 bail since his arrest.
UConn police arrested Parmalee again on September 13 accused him breach of peace, electronic stalking and harassment. Parmalee is also referred to as “Parmelee” on various social media accounts.
According to UConn police, UConn communications department officials received messages from Parmalee in June that police described as “stray.” His social media activity included dozens of references to Bueckers, including a post with a fake wedding invitation and numerous photos of Parmalee with what appears to be an engagement ring.
According to an affidavit filed regarding the arrest warrant application, Parmalee began sending videos via social media in February to Bueckers, identified in court documents as Victim 1. The affidavit says Bueckers never responded, but became concerned in September for the safety of her friends and family, prompting her to give a statement to UConn police.
