A Texas man accused of stalking and harassing Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark pleaded guilty to stalking and harassment on Monday.
55-year-old Michael Lewis pleaded guilty to Stalking, a Level 6 Felony; and Harassment, a Class B Misdemeanor, for sending numerous threats and sexually explicit messages to Clark via his social media accounts between December 12, 2024, and January 11, 2025.
"If they told you to stay away, and told you not to go to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, you didn't listen, and they told you to stop sending messages... No one sends 800 messages," said Marion County Judge Angela Dow Davis to Lewis in court. "She is not requesting a friendship or a relationship with her; she's doing her job, and she wants you to stay away from her."
Lewis was arrested and charged on January 12 in Indianapolis.
Lewis will serve two and a half years in the Indiana Department of Correction, the maximum penalty for a Level 6 Felony. The agreement secured a no-contact order for Clark and court-ordered protections for various locations in Indianapolis, including Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Fever events and Pacers Organization events.
Lewis will get credit for time served and other credits, so his actual time in the DOC will be less than a year and a half. The judge also recommended that Lewis return to Texas upon his release.
According to the Marion County Prosecutor's Office, the investigation uncovered Lewis' recent messages came from IP addresses in Indianapolis, and he was staying at a hotel in the 100 block of N. Market Street.
On January 8, Lewis was visited by officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police concerning the messages. Lewis told police it was "an imaginary relationship." The messages continued despite the encounter with law enforcement.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears released the following statement:
“This resolution ensures that the defendant is held accountable for his threatening actions, the fear he instilled, and the disruption he caused. He will now spend the next two and a half years in the Department of Correction, and the victim will be able to have peace of mind while focusing on what matters to her.”
This story was originally published by Marguerite Incardone at Scripps News Indianapolis.
