An American man charged with raping a college student in her dorm and later messaging her "So I raped you" was arrested in France after a three-year international search for the fugitive.

Ian Thomas Cleary was taken into custody in France, where embassy officials said he lived as a "homeless transient," Gettysburg Police Detective Chris Evans told USA TODAY.

Cleary, 31, faces felony sexual assault charges for raping an 18-year-old woman, who voluntarily came forward as Shannon Keeler, after he allegedly forced his way into her Gettysburg College dormitory in 2013.

'I need to know if I did it or not'

Cleary, who also attended the college at the time, followed Keeler and her friend home from a party, Evans wrote in a 2021 arrest warrant. Gettysburg College is a small liberal arts college with about 2,600 students in southern Pennsylvania, 140 miles west of Philadelphia.

When Cleary offered Keeler's friend $20 to leave, the pair told him to go away, according to the warrant. Minutes after she arrived at her dorm, Keeler heard a knock on her door. She opened the door without checking the peephole, thinking it was her friend. Instead, Cleary burst in and sexually assaulted her, the warrant states.

Keeler reported the incident, met with police and completed a rape test kit the next day, according to an Associated Press investigation. But authorities refused to file charges for eight years – until the woman received a series of incriminating messages from Cleary on Facebook Messenger, the warrant states.

"I need to hear your voice. I need to know if I did it or not," Cleary messaged her in 2019, according to the warrant. "So I raped you. I'll never do it to anyone ever again."

Police believe Cleary left the US before arrest warrant issued

When police issued the warrant in June of 2021, Cleary had already left the country. The U.S. Marshals Service took up the case days later, and a wanted poster with Cleary's name was released.

Evans said Cleary's mother told police that Cleary was out of the country in an interview months earlier. The evidence, he said, indicated Cleary was running from the law. "He comes from a wealthy family, so it seems kind of odd to me that he'd be living as a homeless transient if he wasn't trying to avoid these charges," he said.

The extradition process could take up to four years, Evans said. Cleary won't necessarily face extra penalties for evading arrest. "That could be a decision that the district attorney's office can make down the road," he said. "That could change, but as far as on my end, there's no additional charges I'm looking to file."

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Andrea Levy, an attorney for Keeler, declined to comment on Clearly's arrest in an email to USA TODAY. The office of Adams County District Attorney Brian Stinnett did not return a request for comment. It is unclear whether Cleary has retained an attorney in France.

Cleary left Gettysburg College after the alleged assault. He graduated from Santa Clara University in 2016 and worked at Tesla before traveling to France, according to a LinkedIn page and personal website that appear to belong to him. He has self-published several medieval fantasy novels and translations of French medieval poems on Amazon and the website.

Women in college from the ages of 18 to 24 are three times more likely to be a victim of sexual assault, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Only 20% report to law enforcement.

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Reach her on email at [email protected]. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.