NEW YORK CITY — A Dayton man has been arrested for allegedly throwing a sex toy at a recent WNBA game.
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Charles Burgess, 32, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with two counts of assault, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
New York City police told the AP that Burgess allegedly threw an object at a New York Liberty game earlier this month and hit a 12-year-old girl.
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In an email to the AP, Burgess’s lawyer, Paul D’Emilia, said he pleaded not guilty and voluntarily surrendered to New York authorities.
Burgess is an auto body shop owner and has six children.
D’Emilia told the AP that Burgess plans to “vigorously fight these embellished and exaggerated charges.”
Court documents obtained by the AP state Burgess was caught on surveillance video pulling a sex toy from his pants and throwing it toward the court.
His lawyer claims the video doesn’t show anyone being hit by the object.
As the AP reported, similar incidents involving sex toys have happened at several WNBA games this month. In some cases, the objects have reached the court and caused game delays.
In a statement obtained by ESPN and the AP earlier this month, league officials said anyone who throws an object onto the court will be ejected and face a minimum one-year ban. They’ll also be subject to arrest and prosecution by local law enforcement.
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