A grandfather who put his young granddaughter at incredible risk in order to satisfy his craving for beer and burgers has been arrested in Arizona.
Paul Armand Rater, who deemed it appropriate to arm his five-year-old granddaughter with a .45 calibre handgun before leaving her to fend for herself, has stunned police officials in Maricopa County.
According to emerging reports, the 53-year-old decided to leave the little girl in the desert on her own when she insisted she couldn't walk any further after their pick-up truck broke down on Sunday afternoon.
Upon being listed as a missing person, the small child was discovered by her mother and an off-duty firefighter who were aghast to find her sitting under a tree clutching a fully loaded weapon.
Relating the events of the afternoon to those at the scene, the child asserted that her grandfather had encouraged her 'to shoot any bad guys' while he went for 'a few drinks and a cheeseburger'.
Commenting on the astounding case, Maricopa Country Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, expressed disbelief at Mr. Rater's actions, saying: "She was given the gun and told to shoot any bad guys."
"I don’t know how a five-year-old can tell a good guy from a bad guy but that’s what she said she was told," he related as he considered the possible implications of Mr. Rater's shocking conduct.
Upon being apprehended by police at a nearby store, Mr. Rater was charged with two counts of felony child abuse and one count of felony child endangerment.
