Grandpa Leaves Girl In Desert With Gun To Get Cheeseburger: Cops

A man in Buckeye, Arizona, is facing child endangerment charges after authorities said he left his 5-year-old granddaughter in the desert by herself with a loaded gun.

Paul Rater, 62, took the girl for a ride in his pickup truck Sunday afternoon in the desert. Family members reported the two missing four hours later.

The girl was eventually found by a firefighter who was riding around the desert on an ATV. She was crying for help, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio told ABC15.com.

Arpaio told the station the girl was found with a loaded and cocked .45 caliber handgun.

"He told her it was to shoot the bad guys. How does a 5-year-old know the difference between good guys and bad guys?" Arpaio told the station.

Rater was found a short time later at a local store.

Investigators said he admitted leaving the girl in the desert and went for a few drinks and a cheeseburger, instead, according to CBS News.

Rater also told authorities the truck got stuck and he and his granddaughter had to walk for help because he forgot to bring his cellphone, according to KPHO TV.

When the girl couldn't walk anymore, Rater said he left her under the tree with the loaded gun.

Deputies said Rater came across several people while he was looking for help, but never thought to call 911. The suspect said he asked people to look for his granddaughter because he left her in the desert, according to AZCentral.com.

Witnesses at the South Buckeye Equestrian Center said Rater showed up there around 5:30 p.m. complaining about having to walk 10 miles. He never mentioned his granddaughter.

Rater's wife told deputies he called her for a pickup an hour or so later, after consuming a cheeseburger and four alcoholic beverages.

Rater was booked into a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of endangerment and two counts of reckless child abuse. He remains in custody on $25,000 bond, according to jail records.