A California man is facing a bevy of charges after allegedly tying his 2-year-old son to a tree without “basic food and water” in a homeless encampment.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office says Jeffery Wilson, 27, is being charged with felony child neglect and abuse, possession of a controlled substance, and trespassing, according to PEOPLE.
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When the police arrived at the makeshift camp on Highway 20 in Willits last week, the toddler was found tied to a tree branch.
“The rope was tied around the child’s wrist and secured to a tree branch,” police said in a statement. “The child was also lacking basic food and water, was only clothed in a diaper, and was exposed to numerous hazards within the encampment.”
Law enforcement officials were called to the site after the owner reported illegal campers on his property.
The Sheriff’s Office says that Wilson has been warned on two prior occasions to clean up and vacate the area.
The police statement continued by saying, “Upon further examination, deputies observed several weapons and other dangerous items within the reach of the child that could cause great bodily harm to the child.”
Wilson was booked into Mendocino County Jail on $25,000 bail. He was released on Wednesday.
The full arrest report was posted on the Mendocino Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page.
The child has been placed in the care of Child Protective Services. It is unknown at this time if Wilson has retained an attorney.
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