A man whose legal name is Sexy Vegan may have had a warped idea of what it means to be a friend to animals — but denies the disturbing charges against him.

KTLA reports that Sexy Vegan, 37, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of sexual assault on an animal and posting obscene matter, stemming from an incident earlier this month involving his pet pit bull.

As the KTLA report notes, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office issued a statement about the alleged crime on September 5. Prosecutors reportedly said Vegan uploaded a video of himself engaged in “inappropriate” behavior with his dog to a social media account.

Vegan, who is also known as Hansel Bartolo III, has reportedly appeared on the Dr. Phil show on multiple occasions, and has referred to himself as a candidate in the 2020 presidential race. Friends and family reportedly complained on the Dr. Phil show that Vegan often carried a full-length mirror with him.

Vegan was ordered held on $35,000 bail and is due back in court on October 10.

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