American man accused of stalking WNBA star Kaitlynn Clark
Police have charged a man with stalking who allegedly sent multiple threats and sexually explicit messages to WNBA star Kaitlynn Clark on social media.
The man, Michael Lewis, 55, of Texas, was arrested Sunday at a hotel in Indianapolis, where Clark’s team, the Indiana Fever, is based.
Police said law enforcement officials identified messages sent by Mr. Lewis to Clark on X, which allegedly included threatening and sexually explicit messages.
Mr Lewis is due to appear in court on Tuesday morning and faces up to six years in prison and a $10,000 (£8,211) fine if found guilty.
According to court documents, one of the messages allegedly sent to Clark read: “@KaitlinClark22 is driving around your house 3 times a day..but don’t cite the law yet, Gainbridge to the public ..aka Caitlin has permission to drive to the meadow.”
Another message said, “I’m getting a ticket. I’m sitting behind the bench.”
The messages were sent between Dec. 16 and Jan. 2, according to court documents.
Clark, the 2024 Women’s National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year, reported the messages to police and said she feared for her safety.
According to sports network ESPN, the 22-year-old athlete alerted police to Mr. Lewis before he arrived in Indianapolis. She began making changes to her public appearance due to security concerns.
“The social media posts caused Caitlin Clark to feel terrorized, threatened, intimidated, or threatened,” prosecutors said in court documents.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said the FBI found Mr. Lewis after tracking the IP address of the messages to a hotel in downtown Indianapolis.
According to court documents, the man told police his messages were “a fantasy, a make-believe thing, and it’s a joke, and it has nothing to do with threats.”
In a press release on Monday, Mr Mears said, “It takes a lot of courage for women to come forward in these matters, which is why many women do not do so”.
“By 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 incident came just weeks after an Oregon man was arrested for stalking and harassing women’s college basketball star Paige Bueckers.
