Themis Matsoukas (YouTube screenshot)
A 64-year-old award-winning professor at Penn State University was arrested this week after a newly installed trail camera allegedly captured him walking around a Pennsylvania state park naked, masturbating, and performing sexual acts on his pet dog.
Themis Matsoukas, a professor of chemical engineering, was taken into custody on Monday and charged with one count each of sexual intercourse with an animal, cruelty to animals, indecent exposure, open lewdness, and disorderly conduct, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
In an email to Law&Crime, a spokesperson for the University wrote that Matsoukas "has been relieved of his responsibilities and is on leave" following his arrest.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the agency on installed a trail camera in the Alan Seeger Natural Area parking on April 12 in response to bags of hand sanitizer being stolen from the public bathrooms, Penn State's student-run news website Onward State reported.
It didn't take long for the new camera to allegedly capture shocking footage of Matsoukas, the 2017 recipient of the Premier Teaching Award from the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society.
A man — later identified as Matsoukas — can reportedly be seen on camera at about 8 p.m. on April 13 walking around with his pet collie wearing nothing but a ski mask, a North Face backpack, boots, and a wristwatch. The man can allegedly be seen masturbating in an area near the women's public restroom before "engaging in a sexual act with the dog." The man also appeared to be using a silver iPad to record himself performing the indecent act on the animal.
Investigators reached out to two people who own private camps in the area, both of whom provided rangers with photos from their own trail cameras of a man — later confirmed to be Matsoukas — walking around in the area wearing the same North Face backpack, naked from the waist down except for shoes, Alton CBS affiliate WTAJ-TV reported. Investigators reportedly obtained a total of six images dating back to 2014 allegedly showing Matsoukas walking around the area in the nude.
Rangers on May 16 spotted Matsoukas on one of the trail cameras and were able to track him back to his car, a green Subaru Outback, per WTAJ. They were reportedly able to get his license plate number and then his DMV photo, which they say matched the other photos of the nude man walking through the forest.
Investigators then executed a search warrant on Matsoukas' home, where rangers say he immediately appeared "nervous," Johnstown NBC affiliate WJAC-TV reported. When they informed the professor that they were specifically looking for the silver iPad believed to have been used the previous month to record unlawful sexual acts with a dog, he reportedly started to "panic."
"I'm done, I'm dead, you don't understand, I do it to blow off steam," he told investigators, per WJAC.
The situation continued to worsen, with authorities reportedly writing that Matsoukas "begged" investigators at his home to kill him.
"What do I have to do to get you to shoot me; I need to die," he reportedly said.
The search of Matsoukas' home reportedly turned up several of the items from the April 13 video, including the ski mask, North Face backpack, and silver iPad used to record the alleged sexual act with the dog. His pet collie also reportedly matched the description of the dog from the trail camera video.
Matsoukas' attorney, Matthew McClenahen, did not immediately respond to a message from Law&Crime. He reportedly told the Centre Daily Times it would be "inappropriate to make any comment at this time."
Matsoukas is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on July 19.
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