FORT WAYNE, Ind. (TCN) — A 36-year-old man has been charged with arson after authorities allege he cut off his own genitals and used them to start a fire in a garage in May.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by WXIN, firefighters responded to a garage fire after receiving a call from the homeowners, whose relative Christopher Peden was missing. At the same time, police responded to a report of a stabbing in another location.
Peden, the alleged stabbing victim, was taken to a hospital to be treated. He allegedly told police he had lied about being stabbed and that he had cut off his own penis with a kitchen knife in the garage that had been set on fire. He claimed he poured gasoline onto the amputated organ, set it on fire, and left the area, according to WXIN.
According to WPTA, evidence — including a gas can, knife, and lighters — was collected from the garage, but court records don’t state whether the severed genitalia were found.
Peden was charged with felony arson. WPTA reports that if convicted as charged, he could spend up to 12 years in prison.
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