Caitlin Clark’s stalker found guilty and sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment along with mental health treatment | NBA News

Indiana Fever Star Caitlin Clark’s stalker has been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. Michael Lewis, aged 55, has been accused of threatening and sending sexually explicit messages to Clark for over a month. Focusing on the series of his activities, the guilty has also been recommended for mental health treatment. The guilty person was arrested a mile away from where the Indiana Fever played their games. Lewis, however, defended himself, saying that the messages were not threatening. He instead wanted Clark to be safe.

Michael Lewis defends himself saying he only wanted Caitlin Clark to be safe

Michael Lewis made around 800 posts on the social media platform X. During the trial, the jury issued statements defending his actions. He even went on to state that he instead wanted Caitlin Clark to be safe. Lewis’ exact words were, “I want her to be happy, I want her to be successful. I want her to be safe.” WHTR uploaded the video of the trial on YouTube.

However, his later statements found him guilty of stalking. Lewis stated, “Everyone knew about the post on January 9th. Her [Caitlin Clark’s] social media team never blocked me. They had four days. January 9th, January 10th, January 11th and January 12th to block me. I wanted to go home. I would have stopped. It was cold. I would not be here if they had.”Lewis believed that no matter how bizarre his posts were, he would never be restricted. He presented the argument, stating his motivation behind the multiple threatening posts. However, the guilty still believe that the posts weren’t threatening at all. He said, “I have never threatened her, I have never thought about threatening her. I have never even thought about thinking about threatening her. I will never threaten her.”Lewis stated that he had an imaginary relationship with Clark. The police had an interaction with the 23-year-old Indiana Fever Star and believed that she was pretty terrified by the incident. Based on all the evidence and the contradictory statements from the accused, the court sentenced Lewis to 2.5 years of imprisonment. He was ordered to have zero contact with the athlete, and he also won’t get any internet access during his prison period. Lewis was further recommended for mental health treatment based on his own statements.Lewis was previously asked to stay away from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse and stop the posts. However, he did not comply, which landed him in the state he is in today. He has been further ordered to stay away from all Fever games.

Caitlin Clark praised for standing up to the stalker

The Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark set an example with this case. Most often, women fear standing up against their abusers or stalkers. Clark took a different route and got the guilty person arrested. Praising her, Prosecutor Ryan Mears stated, “No matter how prominent a figure you are, this case shows that online harassment can quickly escalate to actual threats of physical violence.”He further stated, “It takes a lot of courage for women to come forward in these cases, which is why many don’t.”

FAQs

How old is Caitlin Clark?Caitlin Clark is 23 years oldWhere does the Indian Fever play?The Indiana Fever team plays in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana, United StatesWhat is the Caitlin Clark effect?Caitlin Clark has helped popularize Women’s basketball a lot. This phenomenon over time has been dubbed as the Caitlin Clark effectAlso Read: Who is Jade Jones and How the Iowa Cheerleader Became Tyrese Haliburton’s Fiancee and Biggest Supporter