Penn State professor accused of committing sex acts with dog heads toward potential trial
A longtime and award-winning Penn State professor accused of enticing a dog to perform sexual acts and masturbating in a state forest did not challenge the evidence against him Tuesday.
Themis Matsoukas, 64, of Patton Township, waived his first opportunity to dispute the evidence gathered by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The case will continue toward a potential trial.
Prosecutors and defense lawyer Matt McClenahen appeared ready for the scheduled preliminary hearing, but McClenahen waived the hearing after a private meeting with Huntingdon County District Attorney David Smith in a hallway of the county courthouse.
Matsoukas said little during the hearing, often only nodding his head in response to routine questions from District Judge Rufus Brenneman.
Matsoukas is charged with one misdemeanor count each of open lewdness, indecent exposure and sexual intercourse with an animal. He is also charged with one summary count each of cruelty to animals and disorderly conduct.
Matsoukas was caught on camera enticing a leashed dog to lick his anus in Rothrock State Forest, a DCNR ranger wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. He is not accused of having intercourse with the dog.
McClenahen described the case as a “statutory interpretation issue.”
A trail camera captured the footage in April, but a ranger wrote owners of two private camps surrounded by the forest said they discovered images on their trail cameras of a nude man matching Matsoukas’ description. The photos dated back to 2014.
A ranger wrote Matsoukas was “visibly nervous” when investigators served him a search warrant in June. He repeatedly told investigators “I’m done, I’m dead, you don’t understand, I do it to blow off steam,” a ranger wrote.
The professor of chemical engineering — who earned his Ph.D. from Michigan — has been with Penn State since 1991. During that time, he’s written several books, published dozens of journal articles and won at least three teaching awards, including the Premier Teaching Award from the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society in 2017.
Matsoukas was “relieved of his responsibilities and is on leave,” a university spokesperson wrote in a June statement. McClenahen said Tuesday that Matsoukas is a tenured faculty member who was placed on administrative suspension and is still being paid by the university.
Brenneman set Matsoukas’ bail at $50,000 unsecured. He is not allowed to have contact with any dog and is not allowed to visit any state forest or park.
The dog Matsoukas is accused of violating is set to stay with a family member in another county, McClenahen said.
Matsoukas’ formal arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 28 in Huntingdon County.
This story was originally published August 15, 2023 at 12:25 PM.