Oregon man who allegedly fantasized relationship with UConn's Paige Bueckers charged with stalking, harassment

An Oregon man was arrested and charged with stalking and harassing University of Connecticut women’s basketball player Paige Bueckers after police say he made several "concerning social media posts" fantasizing about a relationship with her. 

Robert Cole Parmalee, 40, was arrested Friday and charged with one count of breaching the peace, electronic stalking and harassment, according to an arrest affidavit from the UConn Police Department. 

Parmalee, a resident of Grants Pass, Oregon, first became known to police in the summer of 2024 after several members of UConn’s communications department received emails that contained "rambling comments" and made reference to Bueckers.  

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According to an incident report, Parmalee claimed in the emails that he was a member of the royal family and wanted to marry Bueckers. He also made references to Greek mythology where he likened himself to Apollo and Bueckers to Athena. Further investigation found that Parmalee made similar posts on social media, including a poem asking Bueckers to marry him. 

Police said at the time that "while the postings can be considered to be abnormal, they were not found to be threatening in nature." 

Less than a month later, in July, another incident report cited several more "rambling" emails from Parmalee regarding Bueckers and other college basketball players, including Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. According to police records, the comments were not found to be "harassing or threatening in nature." 

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But Parmalee was arrested in late August by the Connecticut State Police after he was found walking on Route 20 near Bradley International Airport. He told police at the time that he was "going to see Paige." He was wanted in Oregon at the time on a charge of arson and was taken into custody. Law enforcement in Connecticut later learned that those charges would be dismissed. 

An arrest warrant for stalking and harassment was issued on Thursday. According to the arrest affidavit, evidence collected from various social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok showed his "fantasized idea that he and [victim] were in a relationship, his desire to marry [victim]," and mentions about her family. 

Bueckers spoke to law enforcement and explained that Parmalee had begun sending her direct messages on Instagram in February 2024, but that she never had direct contact with him. She said that after learning of his arrest in Connecticut in August, she "became concerned as she deemed Parmalee to be making a direct effort to come in contact with her." 

She expressed concerns about the safety of herself, family and teammates. 

Parmalee appeared in court on Monday and he is being held on a $100,000 bond, according to ESPN. A protective and no-contact order was also issued for "PB." 

Parmalee has an extensive criminal history spanning from 2002 to 2023 including criminal mischief, burglary, sexual abuse, harrassment, theft, DUI, driving with a suspended/revoked license, and possession of methamphetamine. 

He is scheduled to appear in court again on Oct. 22. 

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