A suspect indicted for a 2013 sexual assault on a Pennsylvania college campus engages a legal representative to examine a potential plea agreement.
gettysburg, pa.— Ion Cleary, a 32-year-old American accused of a 2013 campus sexual assault case, made his first in-person court appearance in Adams County, Pennsylvania on May 29, 2025. This came after his extradition from France earlier this year.
Cleary, hailing from Saratoga, California, appeared at the Gettysburg County Court following a decade-long pursuit for the case. The encounter allegedly occurred at Gettysburg College, a half-mile from the court.
Initially, a plea deal had been in the works, as disclosed by assistant public defender, Joshua Neiderhiser, who has represented Cleary since his return to the U.S. However, after consulting his parents, Cleary hired a private lawyer to assess the case, causing the potential agreement to be delayed.
Lawyer Steve Rice, speaking to Judge Kevin Hess, mentioned his involvement aimed at providing a second opinion regarding the plea deal.
Shannon Keeler, the victim, described her long-standing efforts to persuade authorities to pursue charges since the alleged incident, which occurred on the eve of winter break in 2013, when Cleary, a third-year student, is said to have sneaked into her first-year dorm. In 2021, Keeler renewed her quest after discovering a series of concerning Facebook messages from Cleary's account mentioning the assault. Keeler did not attend the hearing, but her lawyer, Andrea Levy, confirmed her readiness to proceed with the case.
Cleary has been in custody since his arrest on minor, unrelated charges in Metz, France, in April 2024. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
The next hearing is scheduled for July 17.
Cleary moved away from Gettysburg College after the alleged assault and completed his college education near his hometown. He later earned a master's degree and worked for Tesla before moving overseas, where he engaged in medieval fiction writing, according to his online posts.
An investigation by The Associated Press on the case and the unwillingness of prosecutors to pursue campus sex assault charges was published in May 2021. An indictment followed weeks later, and authorities in the U.S. and Europe had been trying to locate Cleary until his capture in France.
The AP, following journalistic ethics, does not generally disclose the names of sexual assault victims without their consent, which Keeler has provided.
[1] - Ian Cleary was photographed departing the Adams County Court House in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on May 29, 2025, confirming his extradition.[2] - If convicted, Cleary could face up to 10 years in prison.
- In Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the general news has lately been dominated by the ongoing court case of Ian Cleary, a 32-year-old accused of a 2013 campus sexual assault at Gettysburg College.
- Despite the recent political and crime-and-justice headlines, the opinion of several is leaning towards compassion for Shannon Keeler, the victim in the aforementioned assault case, who has tirelessly sought justice for over a decade.
- As Ian Cleary's trial unfolds, other news from Seattle, like City politics or local weather updates, can temporarily take a back seat to this important legal proceedings happening in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
