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A plea had been in the works, according to Assistant Public Defender Joshua Neiderhiser, who has represented Cleary since he was brought back to the U.S. However, after speaking with his parents, Cleary agreed to hire a lawyer to review the case, delaying a possible deal.

“The initial purpose of my involvement is for a second opinion,” lawyer Steve Rice told Judge Kevin Hess, who was brought in from Cumberland County because an Adams County judge was the district attorney who declined to file charges when victim Shannon Keeler first went to authorities.

Keeler, in with The Associated Press, described her decade-long efforts to persuade authorities to pursue charges, starting hours after Cleary, a third-year student, allegedly sneaked into her first-year dorm on the eve of winter break.

She renewed the quest in 2021, after finding a series of disturbing from his account that said, “So I raped you.” Keeler did not attend Thursday's hearing, but her lawyer, Andrea Levy, said she remains ready to see the case through to the end.

“It has been 11 1/2 years Shannon has waited for this defendant to make an appearance in a Gettysburg courtroom face to face with a judge in this criminal charge, so this is an important day and a step forward in the process,” Levy said.

Cleary has been in custody since his arrest on minor, unrelated charges in Metz, France, in April 2024. He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted on the sexual assault charge.

He declined the opportunity to speak to the judge Thursday. Family members have declined to comment on the case, and none appeared in court for the hearing.

The next hearing is set for July 17.

Cleary, who grew up in Silicon Valley, left Gettysburg College after the alleged assault there and finished college near home. He then got a master’s degree and worked for Tesla before moving overseas, where he spent time writing medieval fiction, according to his online posts.

The AP published on the case and on the broader reluctance among prosecutors to pursue campus sex assault charges in May 2021. An indictment followed weeks later.

Authorities in the U.S. and Europe had been trying to track Cleary down until his capture in France.

The AP does not typically identify sexual assault victims without their permission, which Keeler has granted.