♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, the break in the case of an alleged college sexual assault. cracked open by a facebook message. >> it's not every day that someone gets a confession from the person that raped them. >> now the charges filed nearly eight years later. inside the search for an accused rapist. plus ost. plus olympic dreams dashed. >> in comes sha'carri, richardson's going to tokyo! >> sha'carri richardson, the fastest woman in america, testing positive for marijuana, taken off team usa. now the show of support and growing calls to legalize cannabis.

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>> reporter: 26-year-old shannon koehler was on vacation with her boyfriend when she says she made a chilling discovery. a series of facebook messages starting with "i need to hear your voice." "i need to know if i did it or not." "i'll wait for you, i'll pray for you." then the message that left her in shock. >> "so i raped you." he came to terms with that, that he did do it. >> when you saw those words come into your inbox, what was your first thought? >> it was a sense of validation. it's not every day someone gets a confession from the person that raped them and that, no matter what, i had to pursue it again. >> what did you do with that information right after you got it? >> immediately, that night, sent screen shots to district attorney's office, and i subject lined the email and said, is this enough evidence? >> reporter: it'st a deut she s

in college in gettysburg, pennsylvania, is seared in her memory forever. when we first spoke to koehler in may, she told us at the time she did everything she could, quickly telling friends and reporting her story to campus and local officials, but charges were never brought against the suspect she named. until now. >> to have that confession, i mean, that really never happens. does it have brand-new evidence come, years later, and crack a case wide open. >> reporter: a little more than one month after our report, a major step toward justice. days ago, the district attorney's office in adams county filing sexual assault charges against the alleged suspect, 28-year-old ian thomas cleary. >> the number one goal is to get justice. i want this to go to trial. i want him to be held accountable. >> the next question is, where is ian cheleary, will he see justice? >> reporter: despite the arrest warrant, authorities have not been able to find cleary and have yet to release his

photograph. >> where do you believe this suspect is, and do you believe he will ultimately be arrested? >> we know ian cleary has spent significant time in europe, possibly in france. also in australia. so we're asking the public to really help us identify him and turn him in to law enforcement. >> it's extremely difficult to stay on the run, for starters. it may take some time. if he is going to choose to evade law enforcement. but he'll eventually get caught. >> reporter: shannon was just completing her first semester at gettysburg college. >> it's hard not to remember what happened on december 14th, 2013. because it's a day that changed my life. >> reporter: winter break right around the corner, the lacrosse player and her friends were ready to celebrate. >> we're going out, having a good time, like normal college students do. >> reporter: it was a weekend night. she says she made her way to a fraternity party. that's where she met fellow student ian cleary, who she says began paying close attention to her. what do you remember about your

interactions? >> he kept trying to dance with me. you turn your head, walk away, but he wasn't getting the hint. he at one point pushed me up against the wall and tried to kiss me. >> reporter: she says friends started to notice and came to her rescue. another student at the party says earlier that night, she also had an alarming interaction with cleary. >> we were playing drinking games together, he seemed fun. then we started kissing and dancing. and then he grabbed my chest and my crotch and told me he wanted to take me away. that's when a red flag blew up in my head. >> reporter: eventually koehler left the party, asking a male friend to escort her back to her dorm, not realizing cleary was allegedly following them. >> he whipped out $20 and said to my friend," let me have her, please let me have her." >> what's the next thing you remember? >> i went to bed, heard a knock on the door, i opened it. it was the kid. i didn't understand why he was there. i didn't understand why he

wouldn't leave. i texted my friends for help. and then -- he did -- force himself on me. raped me. and -- and after he did that, he started crying. and said, "i'm sorry, i didn't mean to hurt you, i didn't mean to hurt you, did i hurt you?" and i said, "yes, you hurt me." and then he sprinted out of there. >> reporter: as soon as he left, she says she started texting friends. >> and i was like, i need help. >> she opened the door, and just tears were running down her face, and she looked really upset. that's one of the worst things i've ever seen in my life. >> reporter: koehler says after sharing with friends what had happened, one of them rushed to seek help. >> her voice was shaking, she had tears in her eyes.

she managed to tell me exactly what it is that had happened to her. >> reporter: inberg was koehler's resident assistant who lived down the hall. he says she eventually agreed to go and report this to campus public safety, then to the local police. she even submitted a rape kit. >> she took pretty much every step that she could. i don't know what else could have been done at that moment. >> reporter: in a statement, gettysburg college told abc, we applaud our former student's bravery in continuing to bring these issues to light, adding, we will continue to prioritize our efforts around sexual assault awareness. we know this work is ongoing and far from complete. >> the shannon who i knew in that second semester was not the shannon that i met in the first semester. >> i didn't want to be known as the girl that got raped. >> how did the college's public safety department handle your claims? >> they immediately contacted the witnesses. and then as soon as they started

investigating and reached out to the perpetrator, he -- he dropped out of school. >> reporter: a gettysburg college investigative report obtained by abc news cites a written statement from cleary at the time with a general denial that he engaged in any actionable misconduct. koehler says despite her full cooperation with authorities, the district attorney at the time for adams county, sean wagner, declined to bring charges, saying the case would be hard to prosecute. >> and i said, why? what do you mean, not enough evidence? the district attorney at the time said, when alcohol is involved, it's really difficult to prove that a sexual assault occurred. >> reporter: abc news reached out to the former prosecutor in koehler's case, who is now a county judge. he declined to comment. >> in general, i've represented clients who were victims of sexual assault and wanted to seek accountability through the criminal justice system. i would say 90% of the cases and clients that i represent that are seeking criminal charges for their rapes are denied.

>> reporter: koehler refused to give up her fight for justice. her attorney, laura dunn, says shannon's public appearances on platforms like abc news led to an outpouring of support. then they joined forces with an advocacy group. >> i happened to be on a telephone call with laura dunn. i said, i saw your client in the news, the whole country did, and i want to let her know that the coalition supports her. it was about a week later that i met with shannon and laura and decided at that point to work together to push shannon's case forward. >> reporter: last week, adams county district attorney brine sinnet filed that charge of sexual assault. >> shannon burst into tears. she has been fighting for over seven years. as her attorney, my mind was on to the next. when is this arrest going to be effected? we don't want to see him abscond from justice. >> the simplest way to track fugitives overseas is to use the fbi. virtually every country in the world is covered by an fbi agent

that's stationed in that particular country. >> reporter: cleary did not respond to abc news' request for comment. >> it's extremely important, despite the fact that he may be in another country, to continue to place the case in front of the public here. many times, fugitives make the mistake of using some sort of network that connects them to let's say a friend. if that person comes forward because they are aware that ian is wanted in the united states, then they could reach out to, oh, i saw this 800 number, or this flyer of who i should call. >> it's been eight years since this alleged incident. did you imagine yourself in this spot, speaking out? >> i wanted to. i was scared that people wouldn't believe me, that i would hurt my career, scared it would define me. >> there will be millions of women watching your story. what is your message to them? >> you're not alone.

we together can help positively impact the broken system. >> our thanks to erielle. you can find out more on this story. the national sexual assault hotline is on olympic-sized heartbreak for one rising star is igniting calls for cannabis reform. people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes

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♪ she is the star sprinter

with style who was an instant favorite to win gold. now sha'carri richardson is more famous for not competing in the olympic games. "nightline's" ashan singh reports on why her dashed dreams are sparking renewed calls for changing cannabis rules. >> reporter: it was supposed to be an introduction. >> sha'carri richardson. >> reporter: the fastest woman in the united states. 21-year-old sha'carri richard richardson. >> here comes sha'carri! richardson's going to tokyo! >> reporter: scorching her competition in the olympic trial finals. a sure bet to join the u.s. olympic team in tokyo this year, it was her flair, energy, and mind-blowing performances at the trials that won the hearts of americans across the country. >> yeah, i am an olympian. a dream since i've been young. tokyo! >> reporter: the tokyo olympics slated to start just this month, with richardson ready to be one

of the newest faces of team usa. but all that came to a screeching halt. >> the u.s. olympic track star sha'carri richardson suspended for a month after testing positive for marijuana. >> reporter: the track star's road to olympic glory completely abandoned after testing positive for marijuana. the world anti-doping agency sidelining richardson for 30 days, voiding her trial times, making it so she could not compete in the olympics. this weekend, richardson tweeting, i'm sorry. i can't be y'all olympic champ this year, but i promise i'll be your world champ next year. richardson revealing on nbc she'd smoked the substance to help cope with her mother's passing. >> don't judge me, because i am human. i'm you, i just happen to run a little faster. >> reporter: while the suspension gave way for the possibility of richardson at least being able to compete in the 4x100 relay, ustf recently announcing richardson would not be able to compete there either, citing their sympathies and understanding for richardson's

situation but highlighting they must maintain fairness for all the athletes. the suspension igniting an outpouring of support for the young star. athletes from all sports exclaiming to let richardson run, while others said the penalty was fair. >> the rules are the rules. and everybody knows what the rules are going in. whether they should remain the rules is a different issue. but the rules are the rules. and i was really proud of her. >> reporter: it's the latest debate in a nation where attitudes around marijuana use are drastically shifting. 91% of americans saying marijuana should be legal for medicinal or recreational use. now it seems the american public is at odds with international standards of competition. and everyone seems to be taking sides. even democratic reps aoc and jamie raskin sending a letter asking usada to reconsider the ban. now as america's passest woman cannabis use could still crush somebody's dreams.

>> cannabis does not pose a risk to public health. the cdc has determined that 80,000 americans die every year from alcohol, from alcoholism. not one american has ever died from cannabis. yet wada and the olympic anti-doping committee has no problem with athletes using alcohol. >> reporter: richardson used marijuana in oregon, where the drug is legal, one of at least 18 states to have fully legalized cannabis. and activists like steven hawkins of the marijuana policy project argue the substance is not performance-enhancing and the rules prohibiting it are outdated. >> people do not see cannabis as performance-enhancing drug, which is the reason for her suspension, or one of the purported reasons. we are in a country now where almost 40% of the states have legalized cannabis, compared to the time when the world

anti-doping laws were first written around cannabis, which at that point not one state had legalized. so the world anti-doping authority, the u.s. anti-doping authority, their view on cannabis is moralistic. it's aknack ron necessanak anac. it needs to change. >> reporter: for richardson, catastrophic downfall. known for flair, those nails, and orange hair, she's runnin on fire. the 21-year-old from dallas known for breaking national records while a freshman at lsu. eventually dubbed herself "that girl." will have her dreams deferred as a result of marijuana, forcing her to wait three more years before another shot at gold. richardson is one of four elite american runners missing the games due to drug violations. but activists are hopeful she'll

be one of the last athletes to suffer the consequences of her cannabis use. and possibly the start of a sea change around marijuana use in athletics. >> my sense is the sha'carri richard son story is that watershed moment that may take the marijuana, pot, off the banned list eventually. but i think one important point throughout this whole thing is that we need to keep in mind, this is not a u.s. decision, this is a world anti-doping decision. it's a worldwide decision. and there's a lot of disparity about whether marijuana should be allowed or not. >> when we look at professional sports, we have seen the nfl change its policy. we've seen the nationa basketball association take a very different view. so the olympic committee is stuck in the past. >> reporter: either way, sha'carri richardson isn't passing the blame to anyone else. accepting the responsibility for her actions. and while she'll continue to

cheer on her teammates in tokyo this august, experts seem confident that this is just the beginning for her. >> the structure of our olympic programs around the world, i think they need to be much more understanding of the pressures of the athletes, especially in the 21st century. it's so different from what it was 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago. i think these organizations need to change with the times so that we don't lose the sha'carri richardsons in the shuffle, but instead, can celebrate them and put them on the pedestal where they belong. >> our thanks to ashan. coming up, honoring our heroes on the front lines of the pandemic. my plaque psoriasis... ...the itching ...the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. my psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen... painful. emerge tremfyant™. with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis...

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♪ finally tonight, we love our guardian angels. marching through the canyons of heroes in new york city, the heroes of the pandemic and the health care workers defending hospitals and homes. and serving as the grand marshal, nurse sandra lindsay, the first person in the nation to be vaccinated. today, her message to america.

>> today should serve as a testament that vaccine works. science would win, it does win. >> we salute our essential workers today and every day. that's "nightline" for this evening. catch our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here, same time tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. good night.