A Youngstown man who police say left a dog tied outside a Liberty gas station in subfreezing temperatures has been arrested for animal cruelty.

Brandon Miller, 28, pleaded not guilty to the charge in Girard Municipal Court on Thursday after being booked into the Trumbull County jail.

According to a police report, on March 12 employees of the Fastrac on Belmont Avenue saw a man tie the dog to the air pump when the temperature outside was 21 degrees, with a wind chill of seven degrees.

When the man didn’t return, the employees brought the dog inside the gas station and called the police.

Officers say the dog was wearing a collar with a tag bearing the name “Chino”.

The Animal Welfare League took the dog to a shelter.

Four days later, dispatchers say they got a phone call from Brandon Miller wanting his dog back, claiming it was his emotional support animal.

Miller said he tied the dog outside so he could charge his phone inside the gas station and came out to find the dog was gone.

According to the report, Miller said he went into the nearby Denny’s to get out of the cold weather.

Police say they were on the scene for forty minutes when the dog was found, and no one came to claim Chino.

Bail for Miller was set at $2,500.  Another court hearing is scheduled in July.