Penn State professor faces more accusations of lewd acts

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Themis Matsoukas (YouTube screenshot and Penn State University)

Themis Matsoukas (YouTube screenshot; inset via Penn State University)

An award-winning professor at Penn State University already accused of performing sexual acts on his pet dog in a public park is facing additional charges for allegedly engaging a spate of other lewd sexual acts in the Pennsylvania park, including masturbating in various locations and rubbing his genitals on handrails and pavilions.

Themis Matsoukas, a professor of chemical engineering, has been charged with additional criminal counts of indecent exposure, burglary of an overnight accommodation, criminal trespassing, and disorderly conduct, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

Those latest allegations come in addition to the charges filed against Matsoukas last June, which included one count each of sexual intercourse with an animal, cruelty to animals, indecent exposure, open lewdness, and disorderly conduct.

The new charges are the result of investigators poring over hours of videos from numerous electronic devices seized by authorities following Matsoukas’ initial arrest which allegedly showed him performing a series of obscene acts in Alan Seeger State Park, according to a copy of the criminal complaint obtained by Johnstown NBC affiliate WJAC.

The videos reportedly showed Matsoukas wearing a black ski mask — and nothing else — as he stood atop a pavilion in the park and engaged in a sexual act with a tree branch. Another video reportedly showed him engaging in a similar sexual act with a Tootsie Pop before masturbating in a public pond.

Investigators also obtained additional video footage from trail cameras throughout the park, some of which reportedly showed Matsoukas engaging in sexual acts while inside of equipment belonging to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Another video is alleged to show Matsoukas on top of a picnic table as he performed a sexual act involving “fecal matter” and some flowers.

Following his initial arrest last year, a Penn State spokesperson told Law&Crime that Matsoukas had been “relieved of his responsibilities and is on leave.”

As previously reported by Law&Crime, the allegations in that case stemmed from a trail camera being put up in Alan Seeger Park in April 2023 in response to bags of hand sanitizer being stolen from public bathrooms. It didn’t take long for the camera to allegedly capture shocking footage of Matsoukas, the 2017 recipient of the Premier Teaching Award from the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society.

The camera allegedly captured Matsoukas 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. He can allegedly be seen masturbating in an area near the women’s public restroom before “engaging in a sexual act with the dog.” Matsoukas also appeared to be using a silver iPad to record himself performing the indecent act on the animal, authorities said.

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. Investigators allegedly obtained a total of six images dating back to 2014 allegedly showing Matsoukas walking around the area in the nude.

Investigators executed a search warrant on Matsoukas’ home, where rangers say he appeared “nervous.” When they informed the professor that they were specifically looking for the silver iPad believed to have been used to record unlawful sexual acts with a dog, he allegedly started to “panic.”

“I’m done, I’m dead, you don’t understand, I do it to blow off steam,” he said.

The situation continued to worsen, with authorities 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 allegedly said.

Matsoukas was arraigned on the new charges Monday and released on unsecured bail, records state.