In January 2025, Texas man Michael Thomas Lewis was arrested for stalking WNBA star Caitlin Clark. He made her change her public appearances because of safety and sent her sexually explicit and threatening messages. However police ordered him to stop, continued to harass her and was arrested close to her team’s arena in Indianapolis. In court he admitted himself ‘guilty as charged’, but pleaded not guilty.
Who is Michael Thomas Lewis?
55 year old resident of Denton, Texas Michael Thomas Lewis was arrested in January 2025 for what was allegedly a case of stalking WNBA star Caitlin Clark.
Beginning in mid December 2024 and continuing over the course of these messages into January 2025, reported Lewis sent Clark a number of sexually explicit and threatening messages on a series of social media platforms that caused Clark to change the way she looked and moved about, for safety reasons.
Lewis didn’t heed initial police warnings, and he went to Indianapolis where he was nabbed near the Indiana Fever’s home arena.
Lewis tried to plead guilty when he was first brought before the court but a not guilty plea was entered for him by the judge. A $50,000 bond has been posted and he is to have no contact with Clark, and to avoid places previously prohibited to him.
How the Stalking of Caitlin Clark by Michael Thomas Lewis Unfolded
At the end of mid-December 2024, 55-year old Michael Thomas Lewis from Denton, Texas, started harassing WNBA star Caitlin Clark on social networks by sending her sexually explicit and threatening messages. Lewis had actually been warned and questioned by police on January 8, 2025, after which he had persisted with the harassment. Lewis, who was arrested in Indianapolis just outside of the Indiana Fever home arena on January 12, 2025, was taken Sunday. He declared himself guilty as charged when he appeared in court for his initial appearance, before the judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
What Kind of Harassment Did Caitlin Clark Face?
On December 16, 2024 and well into mid-January 2025, Michael Thomas Lewis, 55, from Denton, Texas, sent WNBA star Caitlin Clark sexually explicit and threatening messages via X.
The messages included claims that she was driving up to her residence many times per day and that he planned to attend her games, which made Clark fearful for her safety. For this reason, she changed the way she moved and presented herself in public.
What Happened in Court? The Charges, Bail, and Michael Thomas Lewis’ Strange Admission
A 55-year old from Denton, Texas,is Michael Thomas Lewis who was charged with felony stalking of WNBA star Caitlin Clark in January 2025. Lewis also caused a disruption at his initial court appearance when he was heard to say himself, ‘guilty as charged,’ to which the judge responded by entering a not guilty plea on behalf of Lewis.
He had 50,000 dollars bail, with conditions attached, including a no contact order with Clark and limits to certain locales in relation to her. Lewis also revealed his intent to stay in jail and that he had no intention of posting bail.
How Did the Police Handle the Situation?
Following WNBA star Caitlin Clark reporting she received sexually explicit and threatening messages, Indianapolis police started investigating Michael Thomas Lewis in December 2024. Officers met Lewis downtown in Indianapolis on January 8, 2025, and he told them it was a ‘joke’ and ‘a fantasy type thing.’ Despite the warning, Lewis continued to masturbate to a member of his hometown team where he later was arrested on January 12 at a local hotel.
How is Caitlin Clark Coping?
According to Caitlin Clark, she was left ‘very afraid’ after getting grossly cruel and threatening messages from Michael Thomas Lewis sent between Dec. 16, 2024 and Jan. 2, 2025. It was these messages that caused her to change the way she was appearing and walking in public to safeguard herself. Neither Clark, nor the Indiana Fever organization, has commented on the incident as of now.
How the Media and Fans Are Responding to the Stalking Case
They have been reporting on the arrest of Michael Thomas Lewis on the charge of allegedly stalking WNBA star Caitlin Clark. News of the incident has been reported on by major news organizations such as CBS News, NPR, ESPN, and Associated Press, with the very threatening nature of the story and the legal consequences following the incident being reported in a fairly deranged manner.
There has been a robust public discourse on social media platforms around the issue at hand, namely safety for female athletes and the broader issue of athlete safety.
What Does the Law Say?
In Indiana, stalking is a felony offense, and the offense becomes more serious if threats of violence are made, and in Texas, stalking is also a felony offense and threatens with very severe consequences for repeated harassment. Strict legal measures are enforced to protect victims both in these states.
Legal action and enhanced public awareness of safety measures surrounding people who are stalked have followed similar cases surrounding public figures such as Shirley Ballas and Piers Morgan.
Michael Thomas Lewis’ case is one evidence of severe consequences of stalking, as well as of the necessity to scorn the stalking phenomenon with more powerful measures to protect public figures. It demonstrates how certainly law enforcement, the legal system and society should act towards such threats.
