An Indiana man has been arrested after allegedly using his genitals to start a fire, according to authorities in the Hoosier State.
Christopher Michael Peden, 36, faces a felony arson charge, according to the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office.
The incident reportedly happened on May 6 at a detached garage owned by the suspect’s family in Fort Wayne.
Fort Wayne firefighters responded to a garage fire while Fort Wayne police responded to a stabbing on the same day, according to court records obtained by Indianapolis-based WTHR.
When officers arrived, Peden allegedly told them he had been stabbed in downtown Fort Wayne after someone threatened him the day before, law enforcement said.
At the fire scene — near the house where Peden’s mother and brother lived — firefighters spoke with the family, authorities said.
Peden’s brother told investigators that a neighbor woke him up to alert him to the fire, court documents say. He added that the garage had no electrical power and that the only fuel source was a small gas can used for the lawnmower.
Investigators quickly suspected that the alleged stabbing victim was the same person who started the garage fire, court documents say.
After police escorted Peden to a nearby hospital, he confessed to lying to responding officers at the scene of the stabbing and said he wanted to set the record straight about what actually happened, according to charging documents.
Peden allegedly said that around 2 a.m., he went into the garage with a kitchen knife, cut off his genitals, placed the dismembered flesh on the floor, poured gasoline on his severed penis, and set the garage ablaze. He then left the garage and walked until he ran into police, according to court documents.
Inside the garage, a fire investigator found a kitchen knife, a red plastic gasoline container, and four lighters. Law enforcement did not say whether they found the man’s genitals.
During an initial hearing on July 2, the court set Peden’s bond at $10,000. He posted a surety bond and was released on July 7. He is next slated to appear in court on July 13 and Aug. 31.
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