Top Exxon Mobil shale oil executive arrested on sexual assault

Top Exxon Mobil shale oil executive arrested on sexual assault charges in Texas

Published: October 8, 2023 at 10:40 pm ET

David Scott, the head of Exxon Mobil Co.’s shale oil and gas production business, was arrested in Texas and faces sexual assault charges.

According to public records from the Montgomery County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office, Scott, 49, was arrested Thursday afternoon on a charge of second-degree sexual assault. He was released on $30,000 bail, according to records. Police records show he was arrested at a La Quinta Inn & Suites hotel in Magnolia, Texas, near Exxon’s headquarters in Spring, Texas, north of Houston.

David Scott, the head of Exxon Mobil Co.’s shale oil and gas production business, was arrested in Texas and faces sexual assault charges.

According to public records from the Montgomery County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office, Scott, 49, was arrested Thursday afternoon on a charge of second-degree sexual assault. He was released on $30,000 bail, according to records. Police records show he was arrested at a La Quinta Inn & Suites hotel in Magnolia, Texas, near Exxon’s headquarters in Spring, Texas, north of Houston.

No further details of the incident were disclosed.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Scott is vice president of Exxon’s Upstream Unconventional unit and has worked for Exxon for 26 years across the company’s offices in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Angola and the United States

In a statement on Sunday, Exxon Mobil XOM said it was “aware of the allegations and cannot comment on a personal matter.” However, “we can say that this person will not continue his professional obligations during the course of the investigation.”

Scott’s arrest comes as Exxon Mobil is reportedly finalizing a roughly $60 billion deal to buy shale driller Pioneer Natural Resources PXD, as the company is the dominant player in the oil-rich Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico want to become.

Scott oversees Exxon’s activities in the Permian Basin, but it was unclear whether or how he might be involved in the Pioneer deal.