Authorities in Indianapolis have charged a 55-year-old Texas man with criminal harassment against Indiana Fever star and WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark.
Michael Thomas Lewis is accused of repeated and ongoing harassment of Clark, 22, beginning Dec. 16, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office wrote in a court filing Saturday. Jail records show Lewis is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
Lewis posted numerous messages to Clark’s X account, according to an affidavit from a Marion County sheriff’s lieutenant.
In one, he said he walked past Gainbridge Fieldhouse — one of the arenas where the Fever play home games — three times a day — and in another, he said he had “one foot on a banana peel and the other on a criminal harassment charge.” .” Other messages to Clark were sexually explicit.
The messages “actually caused Caitlin Clark to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated or threatened” and an implied or explicit threat was also made “with the intent of placing Caitlin Clark in reasonable fear of sexual assault,” they said. wrote prosecutors in Marion County Superior. Filing in court.
The FBI learned that the X account belonged to Lewis and that the messages were sent from IP addresses associated with a hotel and a public library in downtown Indianapolis.
Indianapolis police spoke with Lewis on Jan. 8 in his hotel room. He told police he was on vacation in Indianapolis. When asked why he was posting so many messages about Clark, Lewis replied, “It’s the exact same reason everyone posts messages,” according to court documents.
He told police he meant no harm and dreamed of having a relationship with Clark.
“It’s a matter of imagination, fantasy and it’s a joke, and it has nothing to do with threats,” he told police, according to court documents.
In asking the court for a higher-than-standard bond, the prosecutor’s office said Lewis traveled from his home in Texas to Indianapolis “with the intention of being in proximity to the victim.”
The prosecutor’s office also requested a dismissal order as a specific condition if Lewis was released from prison before his trial. Prosecutors requested that Lewis be ordered to stay away from the Gainbridge and Hinkle fields where the Fever play home games.
The Associated Press was unable to determine Monday whether Lewis has an attorney capable of commenting on his behalf.
Fever officials did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
The Associated Press named Clark the Female Athlete of the Year for 2024. After leading Iowa to last year’s title national championship gameshe was the first pick in the WNBA draft and went on to win. rookie of the year honors in the league.
