Virginia Cora-Lee Seal, 25, of Jacksboro, appeared in court Thursday on aggravated child abuse and neglect charges.

According to the arrest report, an officer was called to Waggin Tails Pet Resort the morning of Oct. 9. Employees and a neighbor told the officer that they heard crying in the woods around 8:30 a.m. They walked into the woods and found the 23-month-old in a patch of brambles that they said used to be a hog pen.

A pit bull was sitting outside the lot and authorities said it appeared to be protecting the child. The little boy was wearing diapers and had a pink blanket.

‘It was maybe protecting it like it was its little baby. It followed us up there where we held the baby until the police came,” said Kristin Dutton. “If that pit bull would not have been there our dogs wouldn’t have been barking at it, so we might never have found the kid.”

DCS was called to take custody of the child, who was taken to the hospital for treatment of some fresh cuts and bruises.

Meanwhile, another officer was flagged down nearby by Seal. She said “there was a lot of people here last night and something went wrong.” She admitted that she was high on meth and had taken her son into the woods and “gave him to a man in a blue fireman’s jacket and that she heard her dad’s voice and left.” She later said she hoped it was her dad.

Seal was arrested and charged. Her case was bound over to a grand jury to see if a grand jury will indict her. She is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond.

The dog was picked up by its owner. (WBIR)