The guy accused of stalking Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark showed up in court on Tuesday and made quite a scene, interrupting the proceedings while a Marion County judge went over the charges against him.
Michael Lewis Jr., 55, rolled into the courtroom in an orange jumpsuit, his wrists shackled. Right when Judge Angela Davis welcomed him, he leaned back in his chair and declared, “Guilty as charged.”
RELATED: Texas Man Charged with Stalking Caitlin Clark After Sending Threatening and Violent Messages
Judge Davis reminded Lewis that he had the right to stay quiet, but he just kept talking, even after she told him it wasn’t his moment to speak. “Throw me the booky,” Lewis said, appearing to refer to his punishment for the crimes he was charged with. Lewis is facing felony stalking charges. According to court documents, he’s been bombarding Fever star Caitlin Clark with messages for almost a month from his X account @RacerX2031. Some of those messages have crossed the line, coming off as both threatening and sexual.
Investigators noted that Lewis’s behavior took a turn for the worse when he made the trip from Texas to Indianapolis to get closer to Clark.
Police picked him up at a downtown hotel on Sunday night after he wouldn’t stop messaging Clark on X.
RELATED: Caitlin Clark Acknowledges Privilege, Praises Black WNBA Pioneers
During the initial hearing in Marion County Court on Tuesday, they went over the charges against Lewis, informed him of his rights, and laid out the conditions he’d need to follow before the trial.
Lewis kept interrupting the proceedings. When the judge asked if his name was spelled correctly in the documents, he jumped in to correct her, insisting that it’s “Michael Lewis Jr.,” not just “Michael Lewis” as it was listed in the court papers.
“There’s no junior,” Lewis said, referring to the document that left out Jr. “I’m free. Guess you got the wrong guy.”
When asked if he needed an attorney assigned to him, Lewis responded that what he really needed was his medication for his mental health, claiming he wasn’t getting it while in jail. Judge Davis assured him that she would arrange for a doctor to evaluate him and prescribe medication if necessary.
The court appointed a public defender to represent Lewis. That attorney was already present in the courtroom and stepped up to provide Lewis with legal counsel for the remainder of the initial hearing.
”At this stage, the court is going to enter an initial plea of not guilty,” Davis said. “I will not let you come in and plead guilty on the day of the initial hearing.”
