Report: Paige Bueckers stalker arrested by UConn Police

An Oregon man has been arrested and charged with stalking and harassment of UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers, ESPN reported Monday.

Robert Cole Parmalee, 40, of Grants Pass, Oregon, made an appearance in Connecticut Superior Court on Monday and is currently being held on a $100,000 bond. UConn Police made the arrest on Friday.

CLICK HERE to go to PrizePicks and use code ON3 to receive a guaranteed $50 once you play $5 in lineups!

Officials at the University of Connecticut communications department were made aware of Parmalee after they received emails from him that were described as “rambling.” He claimed to be a member of the royal family and said that he wanted to marry Bueckers.

Parmalee made several concerning posts on social media regarding Bueckers as well. That included a fake wedding invitation and one TikTok post that police deemed to be threatening to Bueckers’ friends and family.

“And if I cannot live with a woman of my choosing, [Bueckers], then I will choose to die, and I will choose to take all of you that [op]pose me, oppose us, to hell, and return, king,” Parmalee wrote in the post.

Things would escalate after that as Parmalee began to take his obsessive behavior offline and into real life. He was arrested by Connecticut State Police on Aug. 27 after walking alongside a highway just outside of Hartford. He told the arresting officer that he was going to see Bueckers.

Social media posts Parmalee made prior to his arrest corroborated what he said, as he wrote that he was going to propose to the Huskies star. He was facing extradition to Oregon, but after learning that Parmalee’s home state planned to dismiss the charges, UConn PD served its arrest warrant.

It was revealed in the warrant that Parmalee had sent several videos to Bueckers on Instagram as early as February. She told police that she never responded to him, adding that she was concerned for her safety and that of her friends and family.

Protective and no-contact orders were issues for Bueckers against Parmalee in court on Monday. If he manages to make bail, he will face “intense pretrial supervision” that includes GPS monitoring.

Buckers is getting ready to enter her fifth season with the Huskies and is expected to be a top pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. She averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists this past season while shooting 41.6% from 3-point range.

Hopefully with this arrest, Bueckers is able to put this situation behind her before the season starts. Parmalee will make his next court appearance on Oct. 22.