The Glendale man who confessed to coating a puppy in oil and then feeding it to his pet snake will have to undergo psychological testing before he's sentenced.
Joseph E. Beadle, 40, was arrested in June after he fed a 3-week-old puppy to his malnourished boa constrictor as two 15-year-old boys watched. According to reports, Beadle coated the mixed-breed puppy in cooking oil to make it "easier to swallow."
An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday after Beadle failed to show up for sentencing on his guilty plea to an animal cruelty charge.
Beadle said he didn't show up because he had car trouble.
Beadle turned himself in this morning and bond was set at $5,000.
Judge Frank Johnson ordered a psychological evaluation on Beadle before he's sentenced, saying he wants to get to the root of why he would feed a live puppy to his pet boa constrictor in front of two boys.
Beadle is facing up to a year in jail and a $150,000 fine.
The judge set Beadle's next sentencing date for May 29.
The Humane Society is pleased with the judge's actions.
"I think the judge was absolutely correct and I applaud him because I think that his comments that we need to get to the root of the problem to find out why he carried out this abhorrent behavior are absolutely correct, so I think it was the right decision," said Kim Noetzel with the Arizona Humane Society.
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