A Texas man has been arrested for allegedly stalking and sending sexually violent messages to Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
Michael Thomas Lewis, 55, was charged with stalking, threatening sexual battery or death, a Level 5 felony. According to court documents, Lewis allegedly sent Clark sexually violent messages through his Xbox account, including one message in which he said he had been driving around her house multiple times and encouraged her “not to call the law just yet.” He also allegedly spoke of going to a Fever game and sitting behind the bench.
Lewis reportedly told authorities he was going to Indianapolis for vacation and downplayed the number of messages he sent to Clark, describing them as a “fantasy-type thing” and a “joke.”
Clark had alerted authorities to the messages and said she had become fearful of the words sent to her. “It takes a lot of courage for women to come forward in these cases, which is why many don’t,” said Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears. “In 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.”
The arrest comes nearly a month after an Oregon man pleaded guilty to stalking UConn Huskies women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers. Robert Cole Parmalee, 40, was arrested in August and was found with an engagement ring and lingerie while walking near Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. He had intended to marry Bueckers.
