Officers arrived at a home in Garden Grove, CA after the victim’s wife called 911 about 9 p.m. Monday to find a man tied to a bed and bleeding from his crotch, according to a Garden Grove police news release.

Catherine Kieu Becker, 48, who identified herself as the victim’s wife, told police she had drugged her husband’s dinner to make him sleepy, then tied him to a bed.

As he awoke, she cut off his penis with a knife, tossed it in the garbage disposal and turned the disposal on.

Police untied the victim, a 51-year-old man, who was taken UCI Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery.

Becker was arrested on charges of aggravated mayhem, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, administering a drug with intent to commit a felony, poisoning and spousal abuse.

Police said Becker and her husband were going through a divorce and that she told officers he “deserved it.”The severe nature of the crime led detectives to classify it as “aggravated mayhem,” an offense punishable by up to life in prison, said Garden Grove Police Lt. Jeff Nightengale.

“You’re not just depriving a person of a member or portion of their body or disfiguring them,” he said, “you’re doing something that’s so egregious we’re not sure what’s going to happen: if they’re going to be able to reattach this or repair this person after such a violent attack.

“The intention by this person was to permanently deprive this victim of his genitalia,” Nightengale added.

The victim, who was not identified, told detectives Becker made him dinner, but he believed something was wrong with his food. He went to lie down and woke up to find himself tied to the bed, with his wife tugging his clothes off, he said. She then allegedly cut off his penis.

The victim went into surgery before detectives could get further details.

Investigators searched the home and recovered a rope and a knife.