'So I raped you' sex pest refuses to show his face in court ahead of trial for attack on student
A California man accused of raping a college student and sending her a message saying, 'So I raped you,' has waived his right to a pretrial hearing in Pennsylvania.Ian Cleary, 32, will remain in custody until the formal arraignment in Gettysburg, which is set for March 18. He had been detained in April in Metz, France, after a three-year search and extradited to the United States last week.Cleary is accused of stalking Gettysburg student Shannon Keeler, who was 18 at the time, before sneaking into her dorm and sexually assaulting her in 2013.He left school after the alleged encounter and finished college and graduate school near his home in Saratoga, California, before moving to Europe. Keeler had pursued charges from the start, renewing her efforts after receiving a haunting Facebook message years later that said, 'So I raped you.'Cleary was ordered held without bail on January 17 during a court hearing in Pennsylvania.District Judge Tony J. Little cited a request by the Adams County District Attorney's Office, arguing that Cleary had no ties to the area and had been in France without work or permanent address. Ian Cleary (pictured), 32, will remain in custody until a formal arraignment in Gettysburg set for March 18 Cleary is accused of stalking Shannon Keeler (pictured) at Gettysburg College, sneaking into her dorm and sexually assaulting her in 2013Cleary was the subject of an international search after authorities in Pennsylvania issued an arrest warrant in the case in 2021, weeks after an Associated Press story detailed the reluctance of local prosecutors to pursue campus sex crimes.The arrest warrant accused Cleary of stalking the 18-year-old Keeler at a campus party in 2013, sneaking into her dorm and sexually assaulting her while she texted friends for help. At the time, he was a 20-year-old Gettysburg student 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 authorities again in 2021 after discovering the Facebook messages that came 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. I´ll pray for you.'According to the June 2021 warrant, police verified that the Facebook account used to send the messages belonged to Cleary. Cleary had been detained in April in Metz, France, after a three-year search and extradited back to the United States last week Pictured: messages Cleary sent to Keeler in the aftermath of the alleged assault The court prosecutors office in Metz, in northeastern France, said Cleary was handed over to U.S. authorities at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport.Keeler, who has been seeking justice for over a decade, said Cleary's extradition gave her 'renewed faith' in the justice system.'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,' Keeler said in a press release issued through her attorney. After leaving Gettysburg, Cleary earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Santa Clara University, near his family home in California.According to his website, he also worked for Tesla and then moved to France for several years, which describes his self-published medieval fiction. Keeler, originally from Moorestown, New Jersey, stayed on to graduate from Gettysburg and help lead the women's lacrosse team to a national title.
