American captured in France on campus sexual assault charges waives hearing in Pennsylvania

GETTYSBURG, Pa. — An American extradited from France to face charges in a 2013 campus sexual assault case has waived his right to a pretrial hearing in Pennsylvania this week.

Ian Cleary, 32, will remain in custody until a formal arraignment in Gettysburg set for March 18. He is accused of stalking the victim at Gettysburg College, sneaking into her dorm and sexually assaulting her.

Cleary, of Saratoga, California, left school after the alleged encounter and finished college and graduate school near home before moving to Europe. He is represented by an Adams County public defender who declined to comment on the case Monday.

Accuser Shannon Keeler had pursued charges from the start, renewing her efforts after receiving a Facebook message years later that said “So I raped you." The charges were filed in 2021, weeks after she told her story to The Associated Press.

She says his extradition this month gave her “renewed faith” in the justice system. Cleary fought extradition after he was captured in April, and returned this month after losing his appeal in the French courts.

The AP doesn’t typically identify sexual assault victims without their permission, which Keeler has granted.