(MARION COUNTY, Texas) A Texas man has been sentenced for stalking and harassing WNBA star Caitlin Clark over social media.
Michael Lewis, 55, was arrested and charged in Indianapolis in January for "sending numerous threats and sexually explicit messages" to the Indiana Fever player via his social media accounts, the Marion County Prosecutor's Office said.
He pleaded guilty to harassment and stalking charges on Monday.
The judge immediately sentenced him to nearly 2 1/2 years in prison on the stalking charge, a felony, with more than six months in credit for time served, online court records show. He also received a 180-day suspended sentence for the harassment charge.
As part of the plea agreement, he cannot contact Clark and has to stay away from various locations in Indianapolis, including Fever events.
"This resolution ensures that the defendant is held accountable for his threatening actions, the fear he instilled, and the disruption he caused," Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement, adding that with Lewis sentenced, Clark will "be able to have peace of mind while focusing on what matters to her."
The Marion County Sheriff's Office became aware of a "possible pattern of stalking" by Lewis toward Clark in January, according to the affidavit for probable cause. Between Dec. 16, 2024, and Jan. 2, the suspect allegedly sent Clark numerous sexually explicit messages over X, according to the affidavit.
Investigators traced the X account to Lewis and determined that recent messages to Clark were sent from an IP address at a hotel in Indianapolis, which was "especially concerning given that he is a Texas resident," the affidavit stated.
Indianapolis police officers conducted a welfare check on Lewis, of Denton, Texas, at his hotel room in Indianapolis on Jan. 8, during which they confronted him about the threatening posts, according to the affidavit.
"When asked why he was making so many posts about Caitlin Clark, Lewis said, 'just the same reason everybody makes posts,'" the affidavit said. "When asked about posts that were threatening in nature, Lewis said it wasn't him. Lewis claimed that this is just an imaginary relationship."
Lewis, who claimed to be in the city on vacation, told officers the posts were a "joke" and "fantasy type thing," and denied that they were threatening, according to the affidavit.
Officers told Lewis to stop making such posts, though he continued to post on X to Clark in the days after police contacted him, according to the affidavit.
During his initial hearing in Indianapolis in January following his arrest, Lewis said, "Guilty as charged," when the judge greeted him.
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