A prominent Oregon State University researcher and professor was arrested late last week.
Brett Tyler, now the former director of OSU’s Center for Quantitative Life Sciences, is accused of being a fugitive from Virginia where he allegedly committed sex crimes.
Oregon State spokesperson Steve Clark said Tyler has resigned as director for the center.
“Professor Tyler has announced that he will retire from the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology and Oregon State University effective Nov. 30.,” Clark said. “Until then, he is working remotely.”
According to OSU’s online class directory, Tyler is teaching two thesis courses in the botany department this fall.
Tyler was booked in the Benton County Jail last Thursday and released on Monday, according to jail records. His bail was $200,000. He paid $20,000 to be released, according to court documents.
A condition of Tyler’s release was that he not “have any form of contact with the victim or her family.”
Tyler had been charged two counts of forcible sodomy, two counts of taking indecent liberties with children and one count of aggravated sexual battery in Virginia, according to Benton County Circuit Court documents.
The court documents do not state when Tyler was accused of those crimes. According to Tyler’s LinkedIn profile, he taught at Virginia Tech from 2002 to 2011.
Tyler has been working at OSU since the beginning of 2012.
“[Tyler] will work closely with the university to ensure a smooth transition for both the research center and on-going research activities within the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology,” Clark with OSU said.
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