Patrick Zane Thompson, Former ASU Football Player, Arrested for Animal Cruelty

Former Arizona State football player Patrick Zane Thompson was arrested Saturday after allegedly putting his family's dog in a lit smoker and breaking its neck.

Thompson, 42, had been smoking marijuana and having an "episode" before he broke the white poodle's neck, per court documents Katie Faller of the Republic obtained. He said he believed he had to make a male sacrifice to God after burning his daughter's shirt, per Jonathan Lowe of AZFamily.com.

That's when, per police documents Faller cited, Thompson said he chose killing the dog over committing suicide or sacrificing his six-year-old son. Officers found him with a self-inflicted cut in his arm. It's unclear whether it was a suicide attempt.

After inspecting the home, officers found the poodle in a barbecue smoker with an open flame, per Lowe.

"Police say Thompson admitted to then breaking the dog's neck and strangling it until it 'could not breathe,'" Lowe reported. "He allegedly told officers the sacrifice was not done and that he had to put the dog in a 'lake of fire.'"

His family escaped and called police. 

Thompson has been charged with two felonies and four misdemeanors related to the dog's death, including animal cruelty, making threats to his family and evidence tampering. He was booked on a $20,000 bond and is scheduled for another court appearance May 23, per Faller and Lowe.

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