A stalker who believed he was in a long-term relationship with Indiana Fever basketball superstar Caitlin Clark has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Michael Lewis, 55, from Denton, Texas, learned his fate Monday after he pleaded guilty to stalking. In addition to his prison time, Lewis was given an additional 180-day suspended sentence for harassing the 23-year-old.
Prosecutors said Lewis sent over 800 vulgar and sexually explicit messages to Clark on X between December 12, 2024, and January 11, 2025.
He also allegedly drove back and forth from Texas to Indianapolis, past Gainbridge Fieldhouse on several occasions, and even bought tickets to a Butler University women’s basketball game he knew Clark would be at, The Athletic reports.
Clark became so paranoid that she reportedly told police she changed her appearance in public out of fear.
Investigators managed to track Lewis to a hotel in Indianapolis on January 8, where he acknowledged he had forged “an imaginary relationship” with Clark, authorities said.
However, despite warnings from police, Lewis continued to message Clark and was subsequently arrested and charged four days later.
The suspect has been given a stay-away order from Clark, all Indiana Fever events, and Hinkle Fieldhouse, where Clark’s boyfriend, an assistant basketball coach for Butler University, works.
Lewis is also banned from using the internet.
The judge recommended that Lewis undergo mental health treatment after he continually interrupted the court, saying of Clark, "I want her to be safe.”
He also claimed he knew “almost nothing” about Clark’s personal life when he began messaging her and claimed that he never followed or threatened her.
The judge reprimanded Lewis, warning him he was “going to talk himself out of a plea,” local station WTHR reported.
“This resolution ensures that the defendant is held accountable for his threatening actions, the fear he instilled, and the disruption he caused,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement.
He added: “I hope everyone focuses on the fact that there is a real victim here.”
"There is a 22-year-old young person here who has been profoundly impacted by what is being said. I think, hopefully, this case also highlights that there are consequences to what people say online,” Mears said.
Clark has recently missed a string of games since suffering an injury on July 15, and her team says she has not set a time for a return.
