A renowned Penn State professor is facing disturbing allegations he performed s&x acts on his dog after the displays were caught on a forest trail surveillance camera.
Themis Matsoukas, 64, was allegedly caught on camera in the middle of the depraved act with his pet collie by the bathrooms at Rothrock State Forest, wearing a mask while half naked except for socks and shoes.
The lurid incident also saw the award-winning professor try and record himself performing the acts with an electronic tablet, reports Fox43.
Investigators allegedly tracked him down through a North Face backpack, which led a distraught Matsoukas to admit to officials he did it to ‘blow off steam’.
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources launched an investigation after security cameras intended to monitor thieves captured the lewd acts on film.
Matsoukas allegedly performed acts in and around the parking lot and restrooms, that included indecent exposure, masturbation, and s&xual contact with a dog.
A professor of chemical engineering, Matsoukas has been at Penn State University since 1991.
He has written several books and won distinguished teaching awards, but the university said in a statement following his arrest he has ‘been relieved of his responsibilities and is on leave’.
It is alleged Matsoukas’ depraved habit dates back to 2014. After the suspect was caught repeating the act in May, investigators tracked his car and were able to obtain a search warrant for his home and car.
Officials reportedly sought to link the professor with items from the park footage including the backpack, a ski mask, an electronic tablet, and his pet collie.
But when DCNR investigators executed the warrants, Matsoukas became ‘visibly nervous’, charging documents claim.
Initially denying any knowledge of the perverted acts, the professor allegedly became panicked when officers told him they believed he knew the reason they were there.
Investigators say he began repeatedly stating ‘I’m done, I’m dead’. He then begged the officers to shoot him, telling them ‘I need to die’, charging documents state.
When questioned about his motive for the bizarre fetish, he allegedly told investigators: ‘I do it to blow off steam’.
Officers reportedly spotted the collie in Matsoukas’ home that matched the dog in the park surveillance footage.
They also recovered items similar to those worn by the man in the videos, along with three electronic tablets, according to the charging documents.
He is facing charges of open lewdness, indecent exposure, sexual intercourse with an animal, and summary charges of cruelty to animals and disorderly conduct.
