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A California resident is being extradited back to the U.S. Thursday after allegedly sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and then reportedly messaging her on Facebook “So I raped you” years later.
Ian Cleary, who was wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service, was handed over to American authorities today at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France, prosecutors told The Associated Press.
Cleary, 31, of Saratoga, California, was detained in April in Metz after a three-year search. He has been held in custody pending extradition proceedings since his arrest. The Appeal Court in Metz ruled in July that he could be extradited.
“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,” the accuser, Shannon Keeler, said Thursday in a press release issued by Andrea Levy, an attorney who represents Keeler through the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect’s (PCAR) Sexual Violence Legal Assistance Project.
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Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett on June 29, 2021, announced sexual assault charges against California resident Ian Clear for his alleged role in the December 2013 Gettysburg College rape. (U.S. Marshals Service)
An arrest warrant accuses Cleary of stalking an 18-year-old Gettysburg College student at a party in 2013, sneaking into her dorm and sexually assaulting her while she texted friends for help. He was a 20-year-old Gettysburg student at the time, but didn’t return to campus.
Keeler had a rape exam done the same day. She gathered witnesses and evidence and spent years urging officials to file charges. She went to the authorities again in 2021 after discovering Facebook messages that seemed to come from Cleary’s account.
“So I raped you,” the sender wrote in a string of messages.
“I’ll never do it to anyone ever again,” “I need to hear your voice,” and “I’ll pray for you,” read some of the other messages.
According to the June 2021 warrant, police verified that the Facebook account used to send the messages belonged to Cleary. He allegedly sent the messages in 2020 while Keeler and her boyfriend were on a weekend trip.
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The Gettysburg College campus in 2013. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“It is a very meaningful day for Shannon in her long journey seeking justice and healing. She reported this crime more than 11 years ago and to see that her alleged perpetrator will finally stand and face criminal charges in a Pennsylvania courtroom is a great relief for her and her family,” attorney Andrea Levy told Fox News Digital. “It took an incredible amount of courage and unwavering resolve for Shannon to get this far, and she is deeply grateful to law enforcement at every level who worked to locate, capture and extradite Ian Cleary.
“To all survivors of sexual assault, please know that help is available at local rape crisis centers throughout the Commonwealth and if you are a survivor in Pennsylvania who needs legal assistance, we are here to help you,” Levy added.
Cleary left Gettysburg College and went on to graduate from Santa Clara University, worked for Tesla, then moved to France for several years, according to his blog, which touts his self-published medieval fiction.
A U.S. Marshals Service Wanted poster for Ian Cleary. (U.S. Marshals Service)
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The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment by Fox News Digital.
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
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