An American is accused of stalking WNBA star Caitlin Clarke

Police have charged a man who allegedly sent multiple threats and sexually suggestive messages to WNBA star Kaitlyn Clarke on social media with stalking.

The man, Michael Lewis, 55, of Texas, was arrested Sunday at a hotel in Indianapolis, home to Clark’s Indiana Fever team.

Law enforcement officials identified messages sent to Clark from Mr. Lewis on X that allegedly contained threatening and sexual messages, police said.

Mr Lewis is due to appear in court on Tuesday morning and, if convicted, could face up to six years in prison and a $10,000 (£8,211) fine.

According to court documents, one of the messages allegedly sent to Clark read: “@CaitlinClark22 drives around your house 3 times a day..but don’t call the law yet, the public is allowed to drive on Gainbridge..aka Caitlin Fieldhouse.”

“I’m taking the tickets. I’m sitting on the bench,” said another message.

The messages were sent between Dec. 16 and Jan. 2, according to court documents.

Clark, a 2024 NBA Women’s All-Rookie, reported the reports to police and said she feared for her safety.

According to the sports network ESPN, the 22-year-old athlete reported them to the police even before Mr. Lewis arrived in Indianapolis. She decided to change her appearance in public for safety reasons.

The social media posts “caused Caitlin Clark to feel terrorized, afraid, intimidated or threatened,” prosecutors said in court documents.

Mr. Lewis was found by the FBI after they traced the IP addresses of messages to a downtown Indianapolis hotel, Marion County District Attorney Ryan Mears said.

According to court documents, the man told police his messages were “imaginative, fantasy, and it’s a joke, and it has nothing to do with threats.”

In a press release on Monday, Mr Mears said it “takes a lot of courage for women to come forward in these cases and that’s why many don’t”.

“This victim sets an example for all women who deserve to live and work in India without the threat of sexual violence.”

The incident comes just weeks after an Oregon man was arrested and charged with stalking and harassing women’s basketball star Paige Bukers.