Man who sent Facebook message about committing a 2013 campus sexual assault pleads guilty
Ian Cleary, 32, pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault more than a decade after Shannon Keeler says he sneaked into her first-year dorm at Gettysburg College on the eve of winter break and assaulted her. Cleary's guilty plea was the first time she'd seen him since the assault.
'I had been thinking about this moment for 12 years,' said Keeler, who clenched her husband's hand as Cleary was led into court by deputies. She called it a surreal moment. A decade ago, a former prosecutor had declined the case.
'It's taken a lot of twists and turns to get to this point,' said Keeler, now 30. 'It took a lot of people doing the right thing to get us here.'
Judge Kevin Hess set an Oct. 20 sentencing date. The two sides proposed a four- to eight-year sentence, which the judge can accept or not.
Keeler, in interviews with The Associated Press, described her decade-long efforts to persuade authorities to pursue charges, starting hours after the assault.
She renewed the quest in 2021, after finding a series of disturbing Facebook messages from his account.
Cleary has been in custody since his arrest on minor, unrelated charges in Metz, France, in April 2024. A defense lawyer told the judge Thursday that Cleary experienced several mental health episodes there and was hospitalized around the time he sent the Facebook messages in 2019.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Matka ruins lives in Haveri as women sell mangalsutra to repay debts
Haveri: The unregulated matka gambling continues to spread rampantly, compelling women to part with their mangalsutras, while authorities appear passive. Illegal betting activities persist unchecked across several taluks, including Ranebennur's Kumarapattana, Halageri, Haveri, Byadagi, Hirekerur, and Rattihalli. This unlawful practice is affecting young men and labourers, creating substantial hardship for their families. Betting activities proceed unhindered in rural areas of Haveri, Guttal station, Rattihalli, and Hirekerur, with law enforcement merely registering occasional cases without proper follow-through. Organisers have adopted WhatsApp for their betting operations. This technological shift has drawn increased participation from village youth and workers. The police force's perceived lack of action is concerning. Betting handlers accept wagers via WhatsApp exclusively from recognised contacts. They refuse communications from unfamiliar numbers, requiring bettors to place wagers in person. Women in villages have been experiencing severe hardships due to this betting. They report their spouses skipping work and spending agricultural income for betting. Families struggle to afford essentials as men dispose of household items to sustain their betting habits. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Multiple households risk losing their homes because of this operation. Citizens are requesting police intervention to halt these activities. After allegations regarding a Goa bookie's activities last year, many residents of Haveri, Ranebennur, Kumarapattana, and Halageri have turned into bookmakers, working through agents. Some suggest police complicity, with claims of financial settlements to suppress complaints. "Previously, the matka racket was not so prevalent in our area. However, for the past three months, locals have started playing matka, and so many have been following it. Some men are not even sparing the money kept aisde for buying groceries for their families. The police and local representatives must take action and curb this," demanded Kamalavva Karjagi, a resident of Hosaritti in Haveri taluk. Another woman from Yalagacch village expressed her disappointment over the matka gambling menace. She said every night her husband comes home late because he invested money in matka gambling. Lakhs of rupees were lost by her husband on Matka, she added. "Police should curb this menace immediately and save rural families from this illegal betting," she demanded. Attempts to reach Yashodha Vantagudi, the superintendent of police, Haveri, were unsuccessful. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Anaconda Bar Shooting: Investigators find suspect's truck in manhunt after 4 killed; details inside
In a major update on the Owl Bar shooting in Anaconda, investigators have found the pickup truck used by the man who allegedly shot and killed four people at a Montana bar on Friday, August 1, 2025. However, officials say the suspect, who is considered armed and dangerous, is still at large. Giving an update on the Montana shooting incident, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation Administrator Lee Johnson said at a news conference late Friday that a white Ford F-150 that Michael Paul Brown drove was found, but Brown 'was not located in or around the vehicle.' Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Analytics MBA Others others Digital Marketing Management Artificial Intelligence Data Science Healthcare MCA healthcare Data Science Leadership Finance CXO Public Policy Design Thinking Technology Cybersecurity Operations Management Degree PGDM Product Management Project Management Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Visualization Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning Business Intelligence & Data-Driven Decision Making Analytics Strategy & Implementation Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Applied Business Analytics Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details Authorities are scouring a mountainous area of western Montana for a military veteran who they say opened fire at a bar, killing four people. Michael Paul Brown, 45, fled The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda in a white pickup truck but ditched it at some point, said Lee Johnson, administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, which is overseeing the case. He urged residents late Friday to stay at home and be on high alert. 'While law enforcement has not received reports of Brown harming any other individuals, he is believed to be armed, and he is extremely dangerous,' Johnson said. Authorities said they would release the names of the victims once all of their families have been notified. 'This is a small, tight-knit community that has been harmed by the heinous actions of one individual who does not represent what this community or Montanans stand for,' Johnson said. Live Events Anaconda, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Butte, is hemmed in by mountains. The town of about 9,000 people was founded by copper barons who profited off nearby mines in the late 1800s. A smelter stack that's no longer operational looms over the valley. Brown lived next door to The Owl Bar, said owner David Gwerder, who wasn't there during the shooting on Friday morning. Gwerder told The Associated Press that the bartender and three patrons were killed and didn't think anyone else was inside. He also said he wasn't aware of any conflicts between Brown and any of the victims. 'He knew everybody who was in that bar. I guarantee you that,' Gwerder said. 'He didn't have any running disputes with any of them. I just think he snapped.' Brown served in the U.S. Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005, said Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson. Brown was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009, Castro said. He left military service in the rank of sergeant. Brown's niece, Clare Boyle, told the AP on Friday that her uncle has struggled with mental illness for years and that she and her other family members repeatedly sought help. 'This isn't just a drunk/high man going wild,' she wrote in a Facebook message. 'It's a sick man who doesn't know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn't know where or when he is either.' With no sign of Brown in the white pickup or his home, authorities converged on the Stumptown Road area west of Anaconda by ground and air, locking it down so no one was allowed in or out. A helicopter hovered over a nearby mountainside as officers moved among the trees, said Randy Clark, a retired police officer who lives there. As reports of the shooting spread through town earlier Friday, business owners locked their doors and sheltered inside with customers.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Gangs of midnight: Spate of burglaries rattle residents, baffles cops
Jaipur: From villas to apartments to donation boxes, burglars across the city are striking with growing boldness—smashing windows, cutting wires, and vanishing into the night. While the loot piles up, police responses in many cases have reportedly boiled down to one line: "Be cautious. A gang is on the prowl." In one of the most alarming incidents, six masked intruders—clad only in undergarments, in the fashion of the notorious "kachha-baniyan" gang—tried to break into a house in Ganesh Nagar under Muhana police station limits on Tuesday midnight. Armed with torches, the gang scaled the compound wall and peered into the house, accidentally waking an elderly woman sleeping in the hall. She raised the alarm. In response, the gang shattered two windows and began pelting stones. But as the family shouted back, the masked men fled into the night. It wasn't a one-off. On Tuesday in Mahapura under Bhankrota police station, three men armed with a long stick cut through the barbed wire fence of a gated apartment complex and casually wandered through the compound. A few houses away, another resident reported gold coins missing after a break-in by unidentified burglars. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The break-ins stretch across the city's map—and escalate in boldness. In Kanota, on July 28, an FIR reported a house stripped clean: gold and silver jewellery, three mobile phones, a sewing machine, and Rs 28,000 in cash gone in one sweep. In Shivdaspura, thieves broke into a Hanuman temple, dragged the donation box outside, smashed it open with a crowbar, and made off with offerings and silver ornaments. Even public infrastructure hasn't been spared. In Jyoti Nagar, thieves reportedly stole decorative lighting from the Bharat Jodo Setu bridge. The FIR, filed on Wednesday, hints at how deep the rot runs. And yet, in one reported case, when residents went to lodge a complaint, officials allegedly advised them to "be careful" and "lock your doors"—suggesting that even police acknowledge a pattern but have few answers. While police claim surveillance and patrols are being intensified, residents say the problem continues. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
