Inset: Christopher Michael Peden (Allen County Sheriff”s Department). Background: The Allen County Jail in Fort Wayne, Ind. (Google Maps).
An Indiana man was recently arrested after starting a fire with his genitals, according to law enforcement in the Hoosier State.
Christopher Michael Peden, 36, stands accused of felony arson, according to the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office.
The underlying incident occurred on May 6, at a detached garage owned by the defendant’s family in Fort Wayne.
On the day in question, the Fort Wayne Fire Department was dispatched in response to a garage fire; meanwhile, the Fort Wayne Police Department was dispatched in response to a stabbing, according to court records obtained by Indianapolis-based NBC affiliate WTHR, Fort Wayne-based ABC, NBC, and MyNetworkTV affiliate WPTA, and Louisville, Kentucky-based Fox affiliate WDRB.
When officers arrived, Peden allegedly told police he had been stabbed while in downtown Fort Wayne after being threatened the day before, according to law enforcement.
At the scene of the fire — where Peden’s mother and brother lived in a nearby house — firefighters spoke with the family, authorities said.
Peden’s brother told investigators a neighbor woke him up to alert him to the fire, court documents say. The defendant’s brother went on to say that the garage had no electrical power and that the only source of fuel was a small can of gas used for the lawnmower.
Investigators quickly suspected the alleged stabbing victim was the same person responsible for the garage fire, court documents say.
After police escorted Peden to a nearby hospital, the man confessed to being untruthful with 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.
The defendant allegedly went on to say that around 2 a.m., he went into the garage with a kitchen knife, cut off his genitals, put the dismembered flesh on the floor, poured gasoline on his severed penis, and set the garage ablaze. Peden said 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 mention whether the man’s genitals were found.
During an initial hearing on July 2, Peden’s bond was set at $10,000. He posted a surety bond and was released on July 7. The alleged self-castrating man is next slated to appear in court on July 13 and Aug. 31.
