Man charged with stalking Caitlin Clark disrupts court hearing

A man accused of stalking and harassing basketball star Caitlin Clark was reprimanded after being disruptive during a court appearance on Tuesday.

Michael Lewis, of Denton, Texas, was arrested Monday at a hotel in Indianapolis, where Clark plays for the Indiana Fever, after he allegedly sent threatening messages to the WNBA star, some of which were sexual in nature.

Lewis, 55, leaned back in his chair as he entered Marion County Superior Court and said “guilty as charged” and then interrupted the proceedings several times.

“You have the right to remain silent, and I expect you to exercise that against me,” Judge Angela Davis said. Lewis continued to interrupt the judge, who told him to “stop talking.” Davis subsequently entered a not guilty plea on Lewis’s behalf, saying she could not accept a guilty plea at a preliminary hearing.

Lewis is being held on $50,000 bail and was ordered not to contact Clark. Prosecutors wrote that Lewis “caused Caitlin Clark to feel terrorized, scared, intimidated or threatened” and that the 22-year-old WNBA player also had “a reasonable fear of sexual arousal.”

Indianapolis police first spoke to Lewis last week when he allegedly sent threatening messages to Clark on X. According to court documents, one message read: “I’ve been driving by your house 3x a day. But don’t call the law yet.” Other messages contained elements of sexual violence, according to the documents.

Clark told Indianapolis police that the messages had made her fear for her safety and changed her public appearance. Police traced Lewis to an Indianapolis hotel where he was staying after traveling from his home in Texas. He told them he understood he was not in a relationship with Clark. “It’s an imaginative, fantasy-type thing and it’s a joke, and it has nothing to do with threatening,” Lewis said, according to court documents.

Police said Lewis continued to text Clark after they warned him about his behavior.

“It takes a lot of courage for women to come forward in these cases, and that’s why many don’t,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said. “In doing so, the victim sets an example for all women who deserve to live and work in Indy without the threat of sexual violence.”

Clark was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft last year after a stellar college career at Iowa. Her elite skills and rivalry with Angel Reese have made her one of the most prominent sports stars in the US. In her first season as a professional, she was named rookie of the year, broke the league record in assists and signed a $28 million sponsorship deal with Nike.