The man accused of harassing WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark pleaded “guilty to the charges” at Tuesday's hearing in Indianapolis, where a judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Michael Thomas Lewis, 55, displayed erratic behavior and launched several outbursts, as seen in footage from Tuesday's hearing.
At one point, he told the courtroom to “throw the bookie at me” and then claimed that “you got the wrong guy” after realizing there was no “Jr.” attached to his name in court records.
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Michael Thomas Lewis, 55, displayed erratic behavior during Tuesday's hearing in Indianapolis.
A Texas man has been arrested for stalking Caitlin Clark after attacking the WNBA star online.
Lewis was charged with stalking, a Level 5 felony, after attacking Clark, 22, with a series of disturbing posts on X over the past month.
According Angela Ganote, Fox59 news anchorIndianapolis officers first spoke with Lewis on Jan. 8 after discovering the messages were coming from IP addresses in the city while he was staying at a hotel on N. Market Street.
He reportedly told police he was in an “imaginary relationship” with the women's basketball sensation before continuing to send her sexually threatening messages, leading to his eventual arrest over the weekend.
Lewis's X account indicates that he began writing to Clark on December 16, and his initial posts seemed much more innocent despite making little sense.
He then posted on December 27: 'This fantasy relationship with Caitlin is changing me for the better. . And about an hour ago I felt strong feelings from Caitlin. .as sensual. .Wow'.
A day later, she seemed to hint that she was already facing a harassment charge when she told Clark in another bizarre message: “I already have one foot on a banana peel and the other on a stalking charge.” . Then I won't be able to wear your hoodie. “It won't look good in court.”
“@CaitlinClark22 I'm going to touch myself,” a separate post on December 31 read. “Not if, but only when, baby.”
Clark has received a series of disturbing posts about X from Lewis over the past month.
On January 3, five days before police were initially alerted to his social media behavior, Lewis also wrote to Clark: “Do you think I could get your Wi-Fi password?” He's blocked me.'
He also added: 'Can I go up and get some sugar? . . . . Sugar'.
The next day, Lewis appeared to suggest that he had moved from Texas to Indianapolis to be closer to Clark, who joined the Indiana Fever last year.
He posted: 'I had absolutely no plans to come back here. . But I sent you a post saying that I want to be with you everywhere. .and then my Father says what are you doing here then?
'(Then) came the decision of all decisions. .finally I had to choose 1. . . Fla or indy. . My God, it's not easy. .at all. . I had a ton invested. As I looked at the landscape, my mind kept coming back to you. . There is simply no one better for me. “It's not even close.”
A few days later he shared this chilling message: 'this is 911, what is your emergency? . . Caitlin fell in the snow and we can't find her anywhere. It's like she has disappeared. . . . Brass monkey, that funky monkey, addicted to brass monkey, that funky monkey.
Clark, pictured with her boyfriend Connor McCaffery, told police she changed her appearance out of fear for her safety.
Lewis' messages became increasingly sexually threatening over the following week, with the last one arriving on January 12.
He said in one of the posts to Clark: 'I am your slave.' So make me work.”
Another asked the Fever player: 'Do you want to kiss me?' after a different post said: 'urp ***** needsarealgoodpounding'.
'@CaitlinClark22 you don't like sex, do you?' said another, “just video games and sports.”
Clark came forward and helped report Lewis to authorities, and Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears praised her for “setting an example for all women.” He is also said to have admitted to police that he changed his appearance in public out of fear for his safety.
“No matter how prominent a figure, this case shows that online harassment can quickly escalate to real threats of physical violence,” Mears said. 'It takes a lot of courage for women to report these cases, which is why many don't.
“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.”
College basketball star Paige Bueckers (right) was also stalked and harassed last year by Robert Cole Parmalee, 40 (left), who pleaded guilty to one count of harassment.
Parmalee posted photos of an engagement ring she apparently intended to give to Bueckers.
However, Clark, who has been in a relationship with her boyfriend Connor McCaffery for almost two years, is not the only high-profile basketball player who has been targeted by a stalker in recent months.
A 40-year-old man who stalked and harassed Connecticut star Paige Bueckers pleaded guilty to a stalking charge last month after declaring on social media that he intended to marry her.
Robert Cole Parmalee, who had an engagement ring and lingerie when he was first arrested in August, received a one-year suspended sentence and three years of probation, a court clerk said.
He had originally faced charges of harassment, disorderly conduct and harassment, but those were replaced with a single charge of second-degree harassment.