Texas Super Star Player Arrested and Charged with Stalking.
Authorities say a guy from Texas was detained over the weekend and charged with stalking WNBA player Caitlin Clark.
According to authorities, the 55-year-old Michael Lewis texted the Indiana Fever player threatening and pornographic messages on X. He has been accused of stalking, a crime for which a conviction carries a penalty of one to six years.
Lewis was staying at a hotel downtown when officials discovered that he was sending communications from an IP address in Indianapolis. Lewis posted several public comments on X, including one in which he stated, “Been driving around your house three times a day…” which allowed Marion County to get an affidavit for probable cause. However, the [public] is permitted to drive by Gainbridge, also known as Caitlin’s Fieldhouse, so don’t contact the police just yet.
According to court documents, X was approached by the FBI about the messages, and an immediate disclosure was ordered.
On January 8, officers paid Lewis a visit and inquired about the notes. Lewis claimed that he had “an imaginary relationship” with Clark and that he didn’t post anything threatening while on vacation in Indianapolis.
Texas Super Star Player Arrested and Charged with Stalking.
Lewis persisted in messaging Clark through X after the police visit, during which they advised him to cease. He was detained on $100,000 bail after his arrest on Sunday. Lewis frequently disrupted court proceedings during his Tuesday appearance, including an outburst in which he declared himself “guilty as charged.”
Lewis is prohibited by a court order from entering Hinkle Fieldhouse on Butler University’s campus and Gainbridge Fieldhouse, two arenas where the Fever frequently play. In the affidavit that NBC News was able to get, Clark stated that ever since she found out about Lewis’ texts, she has been afraid for her safety.
A 40-year-old man from Oregon entered a guilty plea to second-degree stalking of UConn player Paige Bueckers last year, receiving a one-year suspended sentence and three years of probation. This is not the first time a WNBA star has faced a stalker. Furthermore, threatening emails have been sent to Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty and DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun.
