Police: Fort Wayne man cuts off penis with knife, uses it to set mother’s garage on fire

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WISH) — Prosecutors have charged a Fort Wayne man with arson after he was accused of cutting off his penis and using it to burn down his mom’s garage.

Christopher Peden, 36, is due in Allen County court on Monday for the May 6 fire in the detached garage on his mother’s property.

A fire investigator with the Fort Wayne Fire Department arrived at Peden’s home o to investigate an incident with the detached garage.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Peden’s mother and brother lived at the home. They informed investigators that the garage had no electricity and only a small gas can for the lawnmower.

Peden’s brother also reported that Christopher Peden was nowhere to be found.

Sometime later, police found an injured Peden, claiming he’d been stabbed in downtown Fort Wayne. While investigating the stabbing, police connected Peden to being the missing person from the garage fire.

Medics rushed Peden to a hospital for treatment, where the affidavit says he confessed to police that he was “dishonest” about the stabbing, and “he wanted to be truthful.”

Police say Peden admitted to the fire, telling officers he went out to his mother’s garage around 2 a.m. and cut off his penis with a kitchen knife.

From there, Peden reportedly “poured gasoline on his penis and set it on fire on the floor of the garage just inside the door.” After starting the fire, Peden walked away from the property and let the fire burn.

While at the scene of the fire, officials found a red gasoline container, four BIC lighters, and a knife. These were all collected as evidence.

Police also noted in the affidavit that the fire also damaged two additional properties and two vehicles.

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