Indiana Man Allegedly Cut Off His Own Penis and Used It to Start Fire in His Mother’s Garage

In Indiana man is facing a felony arson charge after authorities say he cut off his own penis, covered it in gasoline and set it on fire inside his mother’s detached garage.

Christopher Michael Peden, 36, was charged with one count of Level 4 felony arson in connection with the disturbing May 6 incident in Fort Wayne, Indiana, according to WTHR. If convicted, he could face up to 12 years in prison and a fine of as much as $10,000.

According to court documents, the Fort Wayne Fire Department was called to a garage fire at approximately the same time police were investigating a reported stabbing involving Peden.

Peden initially told officers he had been stabbed somewhere in downtown Fort Wayne, and reportedly claimed that someone had threatened him the previous day.

However, after he was taken to a hospital, Peden allegedly admitted that he had not been truthful about being attacked.

Court documents say Peden told an investigator he went into the garage at around 2 a.m. and used a kitchen knife to cut off his genitals. He allegedly poured gasoline onto the severed organ before setting it on fire on the garage floor near the entrance.

Peden then reportedly left the property and continued walking until he encountered police.

Investigators searching the garage recovered a red plastic gasoline container, four lighters and a kitchen knife.

Peden’s mother and brother reportedly lived at the property. According to an affidavit, they told investigators that the detached garage did not have electricity and normally contained only a small amount of gasoline used for a lawn mower.

A neighbor reportedly awakened the family to alert them to the fire, at which point they also noticed that Peden was missing. The blaze allegedly caused damage to two nearby properties and two vehicles.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed a possible motive for either the alleged act of self-harm or the garage fire. No information has been released establishing whether Peden was experiencing a mental health crisis, and any explanation for his behavior would be speculation.

Peden posted a $10,000 surety bond and was released on July 7, according to online court records reviewed by PEOPLE. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 13, with another proceeding set for August 31.

His attorney, David Felts, told The Independent on July 9 that he had only recently been retained and had not yet spoken with Peden. Felts declined to comment on his client’s response to the allegations.
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