A Texas resident, Michael Lewis who accused of sending multiple threats and sexually explicit messages to Women’s National Basketball Association star, Caitlin Clark has been arrested and charged for stalking in the United States.
The law enforcement agency apprehended the 55-year-old man at a hotel in Indianapolis, where Clark’s team, the Indiana Fever, is based, for harassing the basketball player over social media.
The police said Clark, the 2024 Women’s National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year, had reported the messages to their office and said she feared for her safety.
As learned, the suspect was found by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after they tracked the IP addresses of the messages to a hotel in downtown Indianapolis.
In a document issued by the court yesterday, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said the messages were sent between December 16 and January 2.
According to court documents, one of the messages allegedly sent to Clark read: “@CaitlinClark22, I’ve been driving around your house 3 times a day. But don’t call the law just yet, the public is allowed to drive by Bainbridge..aka Caitlin’s Fieldhouse.”
Another message read: “I’m getting tickets. I’m sitting behind the bench.”
Mears noted that the social media posts “caused Caitlin Clark to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, or threatened.
“It takes a lot of courage for women to come forward in these cases, which is why many don’t. By doing so, the victim is setting an example for all women who deserve to live and work in Indy without the threat of sexual violence,” he added.
Meanwhile, Lewis claimed that his messages were a joke, an “imagination, fantasy-type thing” that was not meant to be threatening.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday morning, and if convicted, he could face up to 6 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The incident occurred just weeks after a man from Oregon was arrested and charged with stalking and harassment of women’s college basketball star Paige Bueckers.
