INDIANAPOLIS – The Texas man accused of harassing WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark loudly declared he is “guilty as charged” Tuesday before a judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Michael Thomas Lewis, 55, let out multiple outbursts during his first court appearance since he was arrested over the weekend and accused of making a series of vulgar and threatening statements online against the Indiana Fever superstar.
Moments after Marion County Superior Court Judge Angela Davis called Lewis’ case, the defendant, unprompted, shouted that he is “guilty as charged.”
He later blurted out, “Throw the book at me!” and “I am free! I guess you got the wrong person! while also complaining that his name didn’t include a “Jr.” in court records.
Each time Lewis spoke out of turn, court officers approached the defendant, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and black sandals, and told him to sit up straight and not interrupt.
Judge Davis read charges that Lewis “terrorized, frightened or threatened” Clark and placed him in “reasonable fear of sexual assault.”
Lewis replied: “Can I say something?” before Davis emphatically responded, “Not yet.”
When asked if he was mentally ill, he told the court: “I need my medication.” When asked again if he needed a lawyer, Lewis responded that he needed his medications.
Lewis confirmed that he cannot afford a lawyer and is not currently working. When asked if he resides in Texas, Lewis responded, “Pretty much, I live in my vehicle.”
He told the court that he has $100 in savings and that his car, a 2016 Toyota Avalon, is worth “approximately $10,000.”
Lewis signed court orders agreeing to stay away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Indiana Fever’s home stadium, and to have no contact with Clark. He was also banned from entering the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, where Clark’s boyfriend, Butler University assistant basketball coach Connor McCaffery, works.
“If you violate the restraining or no contact orders, the court will revoke your bond,” the judge told him.
Judge Davis entered a not guilty plea on Lewis’ behalf and ordered him detained in lieu of $50,000 bail. If he could raise that money, Lewis would have to stay in Indiana and wear a GPS monitor, the judge said.
But Lewis said he has no intention of posting bail.
“I don’t want bond, bond, whatever,” he said. “I’m here. “I’m staying.”
The court appointed defense attorney Gavin Uitvlugt to represent Lewis, but he declined to comment after Tuesday’s 15-minute hearing.
Lewis is charged with one count of harassment, accused of engaging in a “course of conduct involving repeated or continuous harassment of Caitlin Clark that would make a reasonable person feel terrified,” according to a complaint filed by Marion County prosecutors.
From Dec. 16 to Jan. 2, Lewis used X to send a series of vulgar and sexually graphic messages to Clark, college basketball’s all-time leading scorer and WNBA rookie of the year, prosecutors said.
Police found Lewis through an IP address, which linked him to the Hilton Garden hotel at 120 W. Market St. and the downtown branch of the Indianapolis Public Library, according to the affidavit.
