A Penn State professor has been accused having sexual intercourse with a dog and performing other lewd acts in a parking lot near Rothrock State Forest in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. After being confronted by authorities, the professor said, “I do it to blow off steam.”
Penn State Professor Themis Matsoukas was charged Monday with open lewdness, indecent exposure, sexual intercourse with an animal, cruelty to animals, and disorderly conduct, according to a report by Fox 43.
The 64-year-old professor was reportedly caught performing these lewd acts on a trail camera that was installed in the parking lot in April, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) said.
DCNR investigators are accusing Matsoukas of indecent exposure, masturbation, and sexual contact with a dog. The professor was also see on video trying to record himself performing the acts on an electronic tablet, the investigators said.
The parking lot camera allegedly caught Matsoukas performing these acts on at least two occasions — once in April, and a second time in May.
But DCNR investigators say Matsoukas has been behaving in this manner since at least 2014, citing a trail camera at a privately owned camp that had first captured images of him walking around with no clothing on from the waist down. A second camera from another privately owed camp nearby recorded similar images.
Authorities were finally able to identify the professor in May, when they tracked down his vehicle. Investigators were then able to match his DMV license photo with photos from the other trail cameras.
From there, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Matsoukas’ home and vehicle, and later retrieved a jacket, a backpack, a ski mask, a large wristwatch, an electronic tablet, and photo documentation of the presence of a dog matching the appearance of the collie seen with Matsoukas in the footage.
The charging documents also noted that Matsoukas became “visibly nervous” when DCNR rangers arrived to execute the warrants, and that he repeatedly said “I’m done, I’m dead,” after authorities told him they believed he knew why they were there.
Matsoukas also reportedly begged the authorities to fatally shoot him, saying, “I need to die.” The professor eventually told investigators “I do it to blow off steam,” the charging documents state.
Matsoukas was arraigned on Tuesday. The professor’s hearing is currently set for July 19.
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