An Indiana man is facing an arson charge after police say he seriously injured himself and then started a fire inside his mother’s detached garage.
Christopher Peden, 36, of Fort Wayne, has been charged with arson, according to public court records. If convicted of the felony charge, he could face up to 12 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.
The disturbing case began on May 6, when the Fort Wayne Fire Department responded to a report of a fire in a detached garage. According to court documents reviewed by FOX 59, the homeowners were asleep when neighbors woke them up and alerted them to the blaze.
Around the same time, Fort Wayne police officers found Peden, who initially claimed he had been stabbed in the city’s downtown area after being threatened the day before, the documents said.
But after he was taken to the hospital, Peden reportedly told investigators that he had been “dishonest” and “wanted to be truthful.”
According to documents cited by FOX 59, Peden allegedly admitted that he had harmed himself with a kitchen knife and then used gasoline to set the severed body parts on fire on the garage floor just inside the door.
When investigators searched the scene, they found a gasoline container, four lighters and a kitchen knife, according to reports.
Peden’s mother and brother, who live on the property, told investigators that the garage was only used to store a gas container for the lawnmower and did not have electricity, according to an affidavit reviewed by WRTV.
The fire reportedly damaged two nearby properties and two vehicles.
Fire investigators also said they recovered a gas container, four lighters and a knife from the scene, WRTV reported.
Peden posted a $10,000 bond on Tuesday and is expected back in court early next week, according to public records.
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