January 10, 2008 in City

Hayden man cuts off his own hand

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A Hayden man cut off his hand with a circular saw Saturday and put it in the microwave, allegedly to rid his body of the mark of the beast and escape the wrath of God.

“It had been somewhat cooked by the time the deputy arrived,” said Kootenai County sheriff’s Capt. Ben Wolfinger. “He put a tourniquet on his arm before so he didn’t bleed to death. That kind of mental illness is just sad.”

The man, in his mid-20s, called 911 about 1:30 p.m., fearing he would bleed to death. Wolfinger said the man was calm when deputies arrived.

The man – and his severed hand, which didn’t have any visible tattoo or mark – were taken by ambulance to Kootenai Medical Center. He was placed in protective custody in the mental health unit.

The Sheriff’s Department didn’t release the man’s name or a police report because no crime was committed.

It was unclear whether surgeons attempted to reattach the hand. KMC spokeswoman Lisa Johnson said federal laws prohibit her from commenting.

The man could have gotten the idea to severe his hand from commonly quoted biblical references.

The Book of Revelation in the New International Version of the Bible refers to an angel saying, “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury.”

The book of Matthew also mentions an offending hand: “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

Wolfinger said he didn’t know which hand was amputated. He said the man didn’t give any explanation for the self-mutilation other than to rid his body of the devil.

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