A 55-year-old man from Texas has been charged with stalking and sexual battery after sending violent messages to Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark on the social media platform X. According to court documents, Michael Thomas Lewis had been sending threatening messages, including one that read “Been driving around your house 3x a day” and another that said he would be sitting behind the bench at a Butler basketball game where Clark is known to attend.
The FBI traced Lewis’s messages to his location in Indianapolis, prompting police to investigate. Clark told officers she had become fearful after receiving the messages and had altered her public appearances and movement patterns to protect herself. The Marion County Prosecutor said that it took courage for women like Clark to come forward about such cases.
Lewis was arrested on Sunday night at a downtown hotel in Indianapolis and is currently being held with a $50,000 surety bond. He faces up to six years in prison if found guilty. Lewis had claimed his messages were just “an imagination” or “a joke,” but prosecutors say they were threatening and not protected by free speech.
The arrest serves as a reminder of the consequences of what people post online. Prosecutor Ryan Mears said that people often forget they are talking about real people when posting on social media, and their words can have a profound impact on others. Lewis has been banned from Gainbridge Fieldhouse and Hinkle Fieldhouse, and a no-contact order has been issued against him.
Source: https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/texas-man-drove-to-indianapolis-after-sending-caitlin-clark-violent-messages-on-x-court-docs-reveal