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, authorities 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’s lawyer, Paul D’Emilia, reported that his client pleaded not guilty after traveling from Ohio and voluntarily surrendering to New York authorities. He was released pending his next court appearance in December.Court documents filed 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 argues 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 among the public. 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 following 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 announced that the County Superior Court Commissioner “found no probable cause” to file felony charges against Lopez, and his case was dismissed with the 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 found guilty, 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. Carver told the police that “this was supposed to be a joke and the joke [was] supposed to go viral,” according to the report. The sex toy that fell on the court in Los Angeles almost hit Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. The league’s executives have stated that anyone who throws objects onto the court will be ejected from the stadium and will face a minimum one-year ban from attending matches. Media reports have linked these incidents to a group involved in a meme cryptocurrency coin.Burgess, owner of a body shop with six children and no criminal record, intends to “vigorously fight these exaggerated charges”.
Paul D’Emilia
