Caitlin Clark stalker sentenced to 2 years in prison after messaging star over 800 times

A Texas man who admitted to stalking Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison on Monday for harassing her with threatening and sexually explicit messages.

Michael Lewis, 55, pleaded guilty to one felony count of stalking and one misdemeanor count of harassment as part of a plea agreement with Marion County, Ind., prosecutors.

“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 will now spend the next two and a half years in the Department of Corrections, and the victim will be able to have peace of mind while focusing on what matters to her.”

Although the judge sentenced Lewis to 2 ½ years behind bars, the maximum under state law, he received credit for 197 days of incarceration he already served. That brings his prison term on the stalking charge down to just under two years. The judge additionally handed down a 180-day suspended sentence for the harassment charge.

As part of the plea agreement, Lewis is prohibited from contacting Clark and cannot visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Fever play home games, or Hinkle Fieldhouse, the team’s former arena. He is also banned from all Fever and Indiana Pacers events.

Prosecutors said Lewis sent Clark, 23, more than 800 threatening social media messages between Dec. 12, 2024, and Jan. 11, 2025. He was also recorded driving from Texas to Indianapolis and driving past Gainbridge Fieldhouse multiple times. Police found he also purchased tickets to a Butler University women’s basketball game he knew Clark would be attending.

The investigation into Lewis found that he sent some of his messages to Clark from a hotel in Indianapolis. Investigators visited him at the hotel on Jan. 8, at which point Lewis acknowledged he had “an imaginary relationship” with Clark.

Despite his contact with law enforcement, Lewis continued to message Clark, and he was arrested and charged on Jan. 12.

Lewis’ first court appearance was on Jan. 14, and as the presiding judge greeted him, he immediately leaned back in his chair and declared he was “guilty as charged.” He also said he had not received his medication for unspecified mental health issues since his arrest.

During his sentencing on Monday, Lewis said he knew “almost nothing” about Clark’s personal life when he began messaging her. He went on to say he never followed or threatened Clark, at which point the judge warned his attorney that Lewis was “about to talk himself out of a plea” and that she would not accept a “plea of guilty from somebody who says they are not guilty.”

The plea agreement advises that Lewis seek further mental health treatment and return to Texas once his sentence is complete.

Lewis’ attorney has not responded to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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