A 2-year-old boy was found by investigators wearing only a diaper with a rope tied from his wrist to a tree branch at a squatter camp, officials said.
The boy lacked food and water, and weapons and other dangerous items were within his reach when deputies found him while trying to remove transients camping illegally on the property, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
The boy's father, Jeffrey Wilson, 27, was arrested and charged with felony child abuse/neglect and possession of a controlled substance. The property owner also placed Wilson in citizen's arrest for trespassing.
A number of animals at the encampment were taken by Animal Control, officials said.
The child is in the custody of Child Protective Services.
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