Texan accused of stalking WNBA star Caitlin Clark

Indianapolis authorities have charged a 55-year-old Texas man with stalking 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 due in court Tuesday.

According to a Marion County sheriff’s lieutenant, Lewis posted numerous messages on Clark’s X account.

In one, he said he drove by Gainbridge Fieldhouse, one of the arenas where the Fever played home games, three times a day, and in another he had “one foot in a banana peel and the other being chased.” .” Other messages directed at Clark were overtly sexual.

Prosecutors wrote in Marion County Superior Court that the posts “actually caused Caitlin Clark to feel terrorized, intimidated, intimidated, or threatened” and that the implied or overt threat was “with the intent to cause Caitlin Clark to reasonably fear sexual intercourse.” with” was done. Court application.

The FBI learned that the X account belonged to Lewis and that the messages were sent from IP addresses associated with an Indianapolis hotel and a downtown public library.

Indianapolis police spoke with Lewis in his hotel room on January 8. He told officers he was in Indianapolis on vacation. When asked why he was posting so much about Clark, Lewis replied, “The same reason everyone else is posting,” according to court documents.

She told police she meant no harm and dreamed of having a relationship with Clark.

“It’s an imagination, a fantasy type thing and it’s a joke and it has nothing to do with a threat,” he told police, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said Lewis traveled from his home in Texas to Indianapolis “with the intent to be close to the victim” while asking the court for a higher-than-standard bond.

The prosecution also sought a stay-away order as a special condition if Lewis is released from prison before trial. Prosecutors asked Lewis to order him to stay away from Gainbridge and Hinkle fields, where Fever played home games.

The Associated Press could not determine Monday if Lewis had an attorney available to comment on his behalf.

Fever officials did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

The Associated Press named Clarke its 2024 Female Athlete of the Year. After leading Iowa to last year’s national championship game, she was the top pick in the WNBA draft and was named the league’s player of the year.