As Fever star Caitlin Clark rose in fame, she experienced a stalking case earlier this year.
Clark approached police in January when she started becoming concerned over how often she received messages from Texas man Michael Lewis. Many of those messages were sexually explicit or violent in nature, which is when the FBI became involved in the investigation.
As a result, Clark altered her public appearance schedule when she learned that Lewis traveled to Indianapolis. Lewis was arrested in January in Indianapolis and faced up to six years in prison. On Monday, Lewis reached a plea deal with prosecutors to avoid a trial and officially determine his sentence.
Here's more to know about Clark's stalker's sentencing.
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Caitlin Clark stalker sentencing, explained
Michael Lewis, a 55-year-old man from Texas who was charged with stalking and harassing Caitlin Clark last year, will serve 2.5 years in prison after reaching a plea deal, with time already served counting against his sentence. Lewis was arrested in January after Clark went to police about how frequently she would receive messages from him.
As a result of the deal, Lewis pleaded guilty to one felony count of stalking and one misdemeanor count of harassment, according to TMZ. Besides serving prison time, Lewis is not allowed to have any contact with Caitlin Clark or attend any events at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and Hinkle Fieldhouse, along with staying away from any other Fever events and Pacers events.
"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, via TMZ. "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."
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As part of the investigation, the FBI discovered that Lewis sent Clark messages that included "I'm getting tickets," and "I'm sitting behind the bench," and even "Been driving around your house 3x a day...but don’t call the law just yet." Additionally, he sent private messages on social media to Clark that were more disturbing than his public messages.
Lewis argued that his messages were just part of his imagination and not that different than other social media posts.