AUSTIN, Texas — Russell Taylor Johns, a newly hired Texas A&M University professor, was arrested on Wednesday for an indecent exposure incident that allegedly occurred in April at the University of Texas at Austin.
Johns was taken into custody by Texas A&M University Police based on a warrant issued by UT Police. He was booked into the Brazos County Detention Center and released on a $7,000 bond.
Court documents state that on April 29, Johns exposed his genitals and engaged in inappropriate conduct at the William C. Powers Student Activity Center on the UT campus. A staff member reportedly witnessed Johns masturbating while looking at students.
Initially, UT Police issued Johns a criminal trespass warning after interviewing the alleged victim, who spoke only Spanish. A follow-up interview with a Spanish-speaking officer clarified that Johns was staring at two female students across from him while exposing himself.
Johns had been invited to the UT campus by the Department of Petroleum and Geosciences. In July, Texas A&M announced his hiring at the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, praising his extensive technical expertise.
A Texas A&M spokesperson confirmed Johns’ hiring but did not disclose if he has started teaching. Johns previously worked as Professor Emeritus at Penn State and was part of UT’s petroleum engineering faculty from 1995 to 2010.
Under bond conditions, Johns must avoid contact with the alleged victims and their families, refrain from new offenses, and submit to random drug testing.
In Texas, indecent exposure is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine.
