Texas Michael Lewis arrested for allegedly stalking WNBA star

A Texas man was arrested in Indianapolis and accused of harassment WNBA star Caitlin Clark, authorities said Monday.

Michael Thomas Lewis, a 55-year-old Denton resident, faces one count of harassment for allegedly engaging in “conduct involving repeated or continued harassment of Caitlin Clark that would cause a reasonable person to feel terrorized,” Marion County prosecutors said. in a complaint.

From Dec. 16 to Jan. 2, Lewis, who was arrested Sunday in Indianapolis, used X to send a series of vulgar and sexually charged messages to the WNBA Rookie of the Year, prosecutors said.

Police were able to track Lewis through an IP address, linking him to the Hilton Garden Hotel at 120 W. Market St. and the downtown branch of the Indianapolis Public Library, according to the court affidavit.

Officers first made contact with Lewis Wednesday at the hotel where he “confirmed he was not an Indiana resident and was from Texas and claimed to be in Indianapolis on vacation.” , according to court documents.

When asked about the threatening messages sent to Clark, “Lewis claimed it was just an imaginary relationship” and that the missives were “an imagination, fantasy type thing and it’s a joke, and that doesn’t “has nothing to do with threats,” according to the affidavit.

Police questioned Clark on Saturday and the Indiana Fever superstar revealed that she “has been very scared since learning of the messages and has changed her public appearances and travel habits out of fear for her safety “, according to the affidavit supporting Lewis’ comments. Stop.

“Clark stated that she became very concerned for her safety after learning that Lewis was in Indianapolis,” the complaint states. “Clark also stated that she did not know Lewis and had never responded to any of his messages or messages.”

Lewis was asked to stop posting crude sexual remarks about X at Clark’s, but he appeared to still be doing so Sunday night.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said his office takes online threats seriously because they can easily turn into real-life acts.

“Whatever your personality, this case shows that online harassment can quickly escalate into actual threats of physical violence,” Mears said in a statement.

“It takes a lot of courage for women to report these cases, which is why many don’t do it. In doing so, the victim sets an example for all women who deserve to live and work in Indy without the risk of sexual violence. »

Representatives for Clark and the Fever could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.

Lewis is scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday and had not been hired or assigned as an attorney as of late Monday morning, a representative for Marion County prosecutors said..

Prosecutors said they would seek high bail because Lewis is “accused of sending a series of sexually violent messages” after “traveling from his home in Texas to Indianapolis with the intent of being in proximity to the victim “, according to a memo. by Assistant Prosecutor Robert Beatson.