Ian Cleary, a 31-year-old American from Saratoga, California, has been extradited from France to the United States to face charges related to the 2013 sexual assault of Shannon Keeler, a former Gettysburg College student.
The Associated Press and The Times report that Cleary’s extradition marks a significant development in a case that has spanned over a decade.
According to the news reports, Cleary was apprehended in Metz, northeastern France, in April 2024 after a three-year international search. His arrest followed the discovery of Facebook messages he allegedly sent to Keeler in December 2019, which included a confession stating, “So I raped you.” Cleary also expressed remorse in the messages, which played a key role in reopening the case, according to The Times.
The assault occurred in December 2013, when Keeler, then 18, alleged that Cleary followed her into her dormitory after a campus party, offered her friend $20 to leave them alone, and then assaulted her. Despite Keeler undergoing a rape examination and providing evidence, the case was initially dropped. The Associated Press reported that the investigation was revived in 2021 when Keeler brought forward the incriminating Facebook messages.
In July 2024, the Court of Appeal in Metz approved Cleary’s extradition to the United States, despite his refusal to consent. French authorities handed Cleary over to U.S. officials at Charles de Gaulle Airport on January 16, 2025, according to reports by the Associated Press and The Times.
Keeler, who has been pursuing justice for over a decade, expressed gratitude for the progress. She told the Associated Press, “This arrest and extradition give me renewed faith that, after many years of waiting, the justice system can work when survivors persist with the help and support of family, friends, advocates, and attorneys.”
Cleary, a medieval specialist and author, had been living in France for several years before his arrest. He now faces prosecution in Pennsylvania for the alleged assault. Both The Times and the Associated Press continue to follow developments in this case.
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Charles (Chuck) Stangor is Gettysburg Connection's Owner, Publisher, and Editor in Chief. I would like to hear from you. Please contact me at cstangor@gettysburgconnection.org.