Other State Penal Systems May Take an Arm and a Leg from a Prisoner. Ours Hits You Where You Live. Don't Mess with Washington State

A Mason County man who lost his penis and a testicle after he contracted a flesh-eating bacteria while in prison has won a $300,000 settlement from the state Department of Corrections.

Charlie Manning, 61, said Monday that he agreed to the settlement with the Department of Corrections (DOC) last month because he wanted the ordeal to be over. After paying his bills and attorney's fees, Manning said, he will be left with about $115,000 and plans to hunker down in his Lake Cushman motor home and live out the rest of his life.

“It's been a nightmare,” Manning said. “I figured I should settle for what I could get because I just want it behind me.” “It's unreal. It's like something from Mars,“ said Manning, who clearly has a gift for understatement. “I wish it would have never happened to me.” …

In 2004, medical staff at Stafford Creek Correctional Center in Aberdeen diagnosed Manning as having an allergic reaction to cold medicine. He was later diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis — flesh-eating bacteria — caused by an internal abscess.

By the time Manning was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, the bacteria had spread to his pelvic region. Surgeons at Harborview performed a lifesaving surgery and removed several pounds of flesh, including his penis and a testicle, Manning's attorney said.

Surgeons eventually made a replacement penis with skin from his thigh.


They made a “substitute” penis—not a “replacement penis.” No surgeon can replace a loved one with whom you have had a fifty-year sexual relationship. (Surgeons, they really do think they are gods.)

That said, “pounds of flesh?” They had to measure your penis (and surrounding area—whatever) in pounds. Dude, respect.