The man accused of stalking WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark declared himself ‘guilty as charged’ in a bizarre scene at Tuesday’s opening hearing in Indianapolis.
Michael Thomas Lewis, 55, showed erratic behavior and delivered several outbursts, including his demand to be held accountable for his alleged crimes. At one point he told the courtroom to ‘throw me the booky.’
Later, though, Lewis claimed ‘you got the wrong guy’ after he noticed the there was no ‘Jr.’ attached to his name in the court records.
Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and black sandals at the hearing, Lewis was repeatedly warned to stop interrupting the proceedings. Given his behavior, Marion County Superior Court Judge Angela Davis submitted a not-guilty plea on Lewis’ behalf.
Lewis was charged with stalking – a Level 5 Felony – after targeting the 22-year-old Indiana Fever star with a series of disturbing posts on X over the past month. According to the charges, Lewis ‘terrorized, frightened, or threatened’ Clark, causing her ‘reasonable fear of sexual battery.’
He was ordered to be held in lieu of a $50,000 and told if he does find a way to come up with that money to gain his release, he will need to stay in Indiana and wear a GPS monitor.
Michael Thomas Lewis, 55, showed erratic behavior and delivered several outbursts
Given his behavior, the judge in the case submitted a not-guilty plea on Lewis’ behalf
A Texas man has been arrested for stalking Caitlin Clark after targeting the WNBA star online
Lewis, however, claimed he’s not interested in freedom.
‘I don’t want bond, bail, whatever,’ he said. ‘I’m here. I’m staying.’
Gavin Uitvlugt, Lewis’ court-appointed defense attorney, declined comment after the hearing.
According to Fox59 News anchor Angela Ganote, Indianapolis officers first talked with Lewis on January 8 after discovering that the messages were coming from IP addresses in the city while he was staying at a hotel on N. Market Street.
He is said to have told cops that 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, with his initial posts appearing a lot more innocent despite making little sense.
He then posted on December 27: ‘this fantasy caitlin relationship is changing me for the better. . And about an hour ago i felt strong caitlin feelings. .like sensual. .wow’.
One day later he seemed to imply that he was already facing a stalking charge by saying to Clark in another bizarre message: ‘i already have one foot on a banana peel and the other on a stalking charge. . So i wont be able to wear ur hoodie. .wont look good in court’.
‘@CaitlinClark22 im gonna touch myself,’ said a separate post on December 31. ‘Not if but just when baby’.
Michael Thomas Lewis, 55, showed erratic behavior during Tuesday’s hearing in Indianapolis
Clark received a series of disturbing posts on X from Lewis over the past month
On January 3, five days before police were initially alerted to his behavior on social media, Lewis also wrote to Clark: ‘u think I could get your wifi password? Its got me locked out’.
He also added: ‘may i come up and get some sugar? . . . . Sugar’.
The following day Lewis appeared to suggest that he had relocated from Texas to Indianapolis to be closer to Clark, who joined the Indiana Fever last year.
He posted: ‘i had absolutely no plans of ever coming back here. . But i sent u a post saying i want to be with you everywhere. .and then my Father says what are you doing here then?
‘[T]hen came the decision of all decisions. .i finally had to choose 1. . . Fla or indy. . omg not easy. .at all. . I had a ton invested. as i surveyed the landscape, my mind kept coming back to you. . There simply is nobody better for me. .its not even close’.
A few days later he then shared this chilling message: ‘this is 911 what is your emergency? . . caitlin fell in the snow and we cant find her anywhere. Its like she disappeared. . . . Brass monkey, that funky monkey, brass monkey junkee, that funky monkey’.
Clark, pictured with boyfriend Connor McCaffery, told police she changed her appearance due to fears for her safety
Lewis’s messages became more and more sexually threatening over the next week, with the last coming on January 12.
He said in one of the posts to Clark: ‘i am ur slave. so work me out’.
Another asked the Fever player, ‘u wanna make out wit me?’ after a different post had read: ‘urp*****needsarealgoodpounding’.
‘@CaitlinClark22 ur not into sex are u?’ said another, ‘just video games and sports’.
Clark came forward and helped report Lewis to the authorities, with Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears praising her for ‘setting an example for all women’. She is also said to have admitted to police that she changed her appearance in public amid fears for her safety.
‘No matter how prominent a figure you are, this case shows that online harassment can quickly escalate to actual threats of physical violence,’ Mears said. ‘It takes a lot of courage for women to come forward in these cases, which is why many don’t.
‘In 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 a Stalking charge
Parmalee posted shots of an engagement ring he apparently intended to give Bueckers
Clark, who has been in a relationship with boyfriend Connor McCaffery for close to two years, is not the only high-profile women’s basketball player to be targeted by a stalker in recent months, nevertheless.
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 he intended to marry her.
Robert Cole Parmalee, who had an engagement ring and lingerie with him when he was first arrested in August, received a one-year suspended sentence and three years’ probation, a court clerk said.
He had originally faced charges of stalking, breach of peace and harassment, but those were substituted for a single count of second-degree stalking.
