This is a wild story from start to finish! Not for the squeamish!
An Indiana man named Christopher Peden has been charged with arson after he allegedly cut off his own genitals and used them to burn down a garage. Yeah, you read that right!
The scary story started on May 6 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, when a garage owner’s neighbor woke them up because they saw a fire. The fire was blazing in a small detached garage that reportedly belonged to Christopher’s mother, and by the time fire fighters arrived, police were also investigating a different crime — a supposed stabbing.
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Legal docs obtained by multiple outlets report that the supposed stabbing victim was Peden, who was taken to the hospital. He told EMTs he was stabbed in downtown Fort Wayne after being threatened the day before. So scary! But this is where things took a weird turn…
Police say later in the investigation, Peden admitted he was “dishonest” about the stabbing. He told officers he “wanted to be truthful” and revealed the real cause of his mom’s garage fire. Court docs revealed Peden allegedly told investigators he “harmed himself” by “cutting off his p***s” with a kitchen knife.
From there, he claims to have poured gasoline on it, and used four lighters to “set it on fire on the floor of the garage just inside the door.” He walked off until he eventually encountered police, and that’s when reports say he alleged he was stabbed. But clearly, that’s not what really happened, according to Peden.
While investigating the remains of the garage fire, police found a red plastic gas container, four lighters, and a kitchen knife, which coincides with Peden’s recount. It also goes along with what his brother told investigators, which is that the detached garage didn’t have any electricity, and only housed a single gas container that the family used for their lawn mower they also stored in the garage.
After the incident, Peden was reportedly taken to Allen County Jail and charged with one count of level four felony arson. His bond was set at $10,000, which he reportedly posted on Tuesday. He’s due in court on July 13, and also on August 31.
As of right now, his lawyer David Felts told TMZ on Thursday that Peden is in stable condition as he starts to prepare his defense for his upcoming case. He admitted the charges against his client are concerning, and right now he’s looking into Peden’s mental state at the time of his arrest.
As for Peden’s history with the law, he was convicted of operating while intoxicated in the past. He also has charges from 2018 of a level six felony, which also comes from an earlier operating while intoxicated offense.
This is a LOT to take in! We’ll be sure to keep you updated as more information becomes available on this case.
Reactions, Perezcious readers?
[Image via Allen County Indiana Sheriff’s Department]
