POTEAU, Okla. (AP) — Two men in southeast Oklahoma have been charged for allegedly performing an illegal gender reassignment surgery without a license and storing the body parts in a freezer, according to court documents.
Bob Lee Allen, 53, and Thomas Evans Gates, 42, were arrested Tuesday and were still being held Wednesday at the LeFlore County Detention Center on separate $295,000 bonds.
The two lured a 28-year-old to a cabin for a surgery to remove the man’s testicles, according to an affidavit by Le Flore County Sheriff Rodney Derryberry. The victim had made initial contact with Allen through a website while searching online about castrations and related terms.
The victim said Allen claimed to have 15 years of experience and that he told him the surgery wouldn’t cost him anything. The victim “stated that after the surgery was over that Allen said that he was going to consume the parts and laughed and said that he was a cannibal,” according to the affidavit.
The victim said Allen told him that if he passed out or died, he would dump him in the woods. Instead, Allen ended up taking him to the hospital the next day because he had a lot of bleeding, according to the affidavit. He said Allen instructed him to say “he done it to himself” once they arrived at the hospital.
During a search warrant for the residence on Oct. 15, law enforcement officers found a freezer “that contained a plastic ziplock bag with what appeared to be testicles,” the affidavit states.
Court documents show Allen and Gates face felony counts of conspiracy to commit unlicensed surgery, performing unlicensed surgery, maiming and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. They also face a misdemeanor count of failure to bury the removed parts.
Derryberry said he requested assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI in the matter. Court records show an initial appearance in the case is set for Oct. 23.
