Man Arrested for Throwing Sex Toy at WNBA Game
A man from Ohio was arrested for throwing a sex toy during a WNBA game in New York, police reported on Thursday. This incident adds to a series of similar disturbances at WNBA games across the country, which have resulted in at least three arrests. Charles Burgess, 32, a resident of Dayton, Ohio, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with two counts of assault for allegedly throwing an object during the game between the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty on August 5, hitting a 12-year-old girl. Burgess pleaded not guilty after traveling from Ohio and voluntarily surrendering to New York authorities, according to his lawyer, Paul D’Emilia. He was released pending his next court appearance in December.Court documents provided by prosecutors indicate that a surveillance video shows Burgess taking the sex toy out of his pants and throwing it towards the court. However, his lawyer claims that the video does not show that the object hit anyone. Similar incidents occurred during games in Atlanta on July 29 and August 1, in Los Angeles and Phoenix on August 5, and in Chicago on August 1 and 7. Some of the sex toys reached the court, causing game delays, while others fell into the stands. In Phoenix, an 18-year-old man, Kaden Lopez, was arrested. Lopez told the police that it was a joke that had gone viral on social media, and that he had bought the toy a day earlier to take it to the game. He was approached at the stadium by a volunteer who allegedly saw him throw it and began to follow him as he tried to leave. Police reported that Lopez was arrested on suspicion of assault, disorderly conduct, and public display of explicit sexual material. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office reported that the county’s Superior Court Commissioner “found no probable cause” for the felony charges against Lopez, and his case was dismissed with a recommendation that the remaining misdemeanor charges be presented to the Phoenix city prosecutor. According to a police report, a man was also arrested in Georgia following the two interruptions at the Atlanta Dream games. Delbert Carver, 23, was charged with disorderly conduct, trespassing, public indecency, and indecent exposure. All four charges are misdemeanors in the state of Georgia, meaning that, if convicted, the penalty for each can be a fine of up to $1,000 or a jail sentence of up to 12 months. A misdemeanor for public indecency and indecent exposure could also require registration on the state’s sex offender registry.Burgess, owner of a body shop with six children and no criminal record, intends to “fight vigorously against these exaggerated charges”.
Paul D’Emilia
The sex toy that fell on the court in Los Angeles nearly hit Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham. League officials have stated that anyone who throws objects onto the court will be ejected from the stadium and face a minimum one-year ban from attending games. Media reports on the disturbances have linked the antics to a group involved in a related meme cryptocurrency coin.Carver stated to the police: “This was supposed to be a joke and the joke was supposed to go viral”.
Police report
