Man pleads guilty to stalking UConn's Bueckers

VERNON, Conn. — A 40-year-old man arrested for stalking UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers pleaded guilty Wednesday to a second-degree charge at Rockville Superior Court.

Robert Cole Parmalee of Grants Pass, Oregon, received a one-year suspended sentence and three years’ probation. According to the plea agreement, Parmalee must abide by the protective order that has been in effect since Sept. 16 and will remain in place until Jan. 4, 2064, and comply with treatment recommendations for his mental health.

He is barred from the state of Connecticut during his three-year probation.

In addition, Parmalee is barred from arenas, hotels and practice facilities where the UConn women’s basketball team is present. The State’s Attorney also added that the WNBA has barred him from all arenas and practice facilities.

Parmalee apologized in court to the state of Connecticut, its residents and to UConn. According to his attorney, Parmalee is booked on a Wednesday evening flight to Washington.

Bueckers and UConn coach Geno Auriemma declined to comment through a spokesperson.

“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.”

Parmalee was arrested by Connecticut State Police on Aug. 27 while he was walking along a highway near Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. According to UConn Police, Parmalee told state police that he was going to see Bueckers. Prior to his arrest, Parmalee posted on social media that he was traveling to Connecticut to propose to Bueckers and to get her expelled from UConn.

He had been held on $100,000 bond since his arrest.

UConn police re-arrested Parmalee on Sept. 13 and charged him with breach of peace, electronic stalking and harassment. Parmalee is also referred to as “Parmelee” on various social media accounts.

According to UConn police, officials in UConn’s communications department received messages from Parmalee in June that police described as “rambling.” His social media activity contained dozens of references to Bueckers, including a post with a fake wedding invitation and multiple photos of Parmalee with what appears to be an engagement ring.

According to an affidavit on the application for an arrest warrant, Parmalee began sending videos via social media to Bueckers, identified in court documents as Victim 1, in February. According to the affidavit, Bueckers never responded, but began worrying for the safety of her friends and family in September, leading her to give a statement to UConn police.