In Indiana, authorities have charged a man accused of severing his own penis, soaking it with gasoline, and setting it ablaze inside a garage, which subsequently led to a structural fire.
Christopher Michael Peden is facing legal action for arson damage related to this bizarre incident, which court documents reveal occurred on May 6, as reported by Oxygen.
Records show that the Fort Wayne Fire Department was dispatched to the residence shared by Peden, his mother, and his brother during the early hours of May 6. They responded to a call reporting a fire in a standalone garage, confirmed by a probable cause affidavit reviewed by Oxygen.
According to the court documents, Peden’s brother informed investigators that he and their mother were asleep when a neighbor alerted them to the garage fire. He mentioned that the only flammable substance present in the garage was a small gas container used for refueling their lawn mower.
Initially, the family was uncertain of Peden’s whereabouts. However, it was later revealed by a Fort Wayne police officer — as stated in the affidavit — that Peden had been admitted to the hospital, claiming that he was stabbed in downtown Fort Wayne shortly before the fire incident.
Yet, once at the hospital, Peden allegedly admitted that he’d been lying at the scene of the stabbing and admitted to harming himself with a kitchen knife. He told officers, per the affidavit, that he’d gone into the garage around 2 a.m. and used the knife to cut off his penis, then “poured gasoline on his penis and set it on fire on the floor of the garage just inside the door.”
He then left the garage and walked away from the property until he encountered the police.
Inside the garage, authorities discovered the remains of a red plastic gasoline container and four BIC lighters. They also found a kitchen knife “near the area of origin,” according to the court documents.
Peden was released from custody July 7 after posting a surety bond, according to court records.
His attorney David Felts told Oxygen he is working to arrange a meeting with his client and declined to provide any additional details about the alleged incident, adding that his client’s “mental and physical wellbeing remains my foremost concern throughout this process.”