A man from Texas has been arrested and charged in connection with stalking and sending violent messages to Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
Michael Thomas Lewis, 55, from Denton, Texas, was taken into custody on Sunday. He faces one count of stalking threatening sexual battery or death, classified as a Level 5 felony.
Court documents obtained by Fox59 in Indianapolis reveal that Lewis sent sexually violent messages to Clark through the social media platform X and persisted even after law enforcement became involved. The situation escalated when Lewis traveled to Indianapolis to be near Clark.
“Been driving around your house 3x a day,” he wrote to her, according to Fox59. “But don’t call the law just yet.”
Clark grew increasingly concerned when Lewis arrived in Indianapolis and informed her of his intention to sit near the Fever bench during games.
“I’m getting tickets,” one of his messages stated. “I’m sitting behind the bench.”
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears commended Clark for reporting the messages.
“It takes a lot of courage for women to come forward in these cases, which is why many don’t,” Mears noted. “By doing so, the victim is setting an example for all women who deserve to live and work in Indy without the threat of sexual violence.”
Lewis, however, denies the allegations. He claims his trip to Indianapolis was for vacation and insists the messages sent to Clark were merely “an imagination,” “a fantasy-type thing,” and “a joke.”
Needless to say, the disgusting nature of this news led to a lot of reactions on social media.
“An extremely scary situation for Clark, and the second time it’s happened to a women’s basketball player recently. A man was charged with stalking Paige Bueckers in Connecticut, and he was barred from all UConn and WNBA venues, along with receiving a restraining order,” Chloe Peterson of the Indy Star wrote on X.
“Can y’all just like watch and enjoy the sport? This trend is troublesome and disgusting,” David Eickholt of 247 Sports wrote.
“This is wild and absolutely disgusting,” another fan added.
“People are genuinely insane,” someone else wrote.
“I usually have words, but I don’t. No one should experience this. Glad this is being taken care of via legal channels- there are consequences to acting as though there are no consequences in an online space,” another person added.
“This is absolutely disgusting,” someone else said.
If convicted, Lewis could face up to six years in prison for the Level 5 felony.