A Texas man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after a months-long legal saga stemming from a campaign of stalking, threats, and harassment of WNBA star Caitlin Clark.
Michael T. Lewis, 55, of Denton, Texas, pleaded guilty earlier this month to felony stalking charges. His sentence includes credit for time served since his arrest in January, when he was found staying at a downtown Indianapolis hotel after driving from Texas to confront Clark in person, as previously reported by DX.
According to court records, Lewis had sent more than 800 threatening messages to Clark across social media, ranging from talks about his obsessive fixation to explicit threats of violence. Authorities said the messages included statements such as “Been driving around your house” and “Don’t call the law just yet.”
The FBI helped trace Lewis’ phone and computer records, revealing that he had purchased tickets to a game in Indiana with plans to sit directly behind the WNBA team’s bench.
In addition to the 18-month prison sentence, the court imposed several other conditions: Lewis must have no contact with Clark, may not attend any Indiana Fever or Pacers games, is barred from accessing the internet, and is required to undergo mental health treatment.
During the hearing, Lewis reportedly expressed some delusional beliefs, telling the court that “the end of the world was coming,” per Fox News. The presiding judge responded bluntly, saying, “You can’t help yourself until you get help.”
Clark had previously told the police that she altered her appearance in public, wore disguises, and took other precautions out of fear for her safety. After Lewis was taken into custody, she was granted a protective order to keep him at least 500 feet away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Fever’s home court.
Lewis initially tried to downplay his actions, calling the barrage of threatening posts a “joke” and “fantasy.” But prosecutors argued convincingly that his behavior crossed from inappropriate fandom into criminal stalking, especially due to the physical distance he traveled and his ongoing online harassment despite many warnings.
The case has drawn national attention, not only due to Clark’s prominence as a WNBA star – and NCAA scoring record-holder, but also for the light it sheds on the real-life dangers athletes, particularly women, face from obsessive online stalkers.
“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 told WTHR following the sentencing. “He will now spend the next two and a half years in the Department of Correction, and the victim will be able to have peace of mind while focusing on what matters to her.”