An American man accused of sexually assaulting a college student in Pennsylvania in 2013 and later sending her a disturbing Facebook message has been detained in France after a three-year search. Ian Thomas Cleary, 31, of California, was arrested in Metz and will be held pending extradition proceedings. Cleary had been wanted since a felony warrant was issued in 2021, following an Associated Press story that brought attention to the reluctance of prosecutors to pursue campus sex crimes.
Cleary was detained in Metz during a police check and claimed to have arrived in France from Albania two or three years ago. He has ties to California, Maryland, and France, where he had previously spent time. Despite attempts to contact Cleary and his parents, they have not responded to phone and email messages. The victim, Shannon Keeler, had undergone a rape exam on the same day she was assaulted and had been pushing for charges to be filed for years. The discovery of incriminating Facebook messages led to the filing of a warrant in 2021.
The disturbing messages from Cleary’s Facebook account included phrases like “So I raped you,” prompting Keeler to take action and seek justice. Police confirmed that the account belonged to Cleary, leading to the warrant being filed by the Adams County District Attorney. Keeler has granted permission for her name to be used in reporting the case. Cleary earned degrees from Santa Clara University and worked for Tesla before moving to France, where he self-published medieval fiction. Keeler, on the other hand, remained at Gettysburg to graduate and even led the women’s lacrosse team to a national title.
Despite efforts to track down Cleary, including an Interpol red notice, he managed to evade capture for two years following the warrant. The case highlights the challenges of prosecuting campus rapes in the U.S., as victims often fear reporting to authorities and prosecutors may be hesitant to pursue difficult cases. Keeler expressed gratitude for the warrant being issued but emphasized that survivors should not have to go public with their stories to seek justice. The investigation sheds light on the complexities of addressing sexual assault cases on college campuses and the obstacles survivors face in seeking accountability.
