Global Courant
A longtime Penn State professor was charged Tuesday following an investigation into CCTV footage of a man engaging in sexual acts with a dog in Rothrock State Forest.
Themis Matsoukas, 64, of State College, was caught on camera on April 13 committing sex acts with his dog near the restrooms in Rothrock State Forest, according to a criminal complaint filed by the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Matsoukas was identified by park rangers from his North Face backpack, which was visible on CCTV footage of the April 13 incident. The backpack was also present in images of Matsouka’s nude from the waist down, excluding socks and shoes, on trail camera images dating back to 2014, according to the complaint.
The chemical engineering professor – who received his Ph.D. from Michigan — has been with Penn State since 1991. In that time he has written several books, published dozens of magazine articles and won awards at least three teaching awardsincluding the Premier Teaching Award from the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society in 2017.
A Penn State spokesperson said the university planned to issue a statement later Wednesday, but as of 4 p.m., the Center Daily Times has not received one. It is unknown at this time if Matsoukas will continue to be employed by the university, although he is still listed in the Penn State directory. This story will be updated once a statement is released.
Rangers served a search warrant on June 9 on Matsoukas at his State College home. According to the complaint, Matsoukas was “visibly nervous” and repeatedly told rangers, “I’m done, I’m dead, you don’t understand, I’m doing it to blow off steam.”
During the execution of the search warrant, rangers found “all items listed” in the warrant, including the backpack and a ski mask visible in the April 13 CCTV footage.
His attorney, Matthew McClenahen, said Wednesday that “it would be inappropriate to comment at this time.”
Matsoukas was charged with felony charges of public lewdness, indecent exposure and sexual intercourse with an animal, and summary charges of cruelty to animals and disorderly conduct. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 19 in Huntingdon County.
