Arizona Man Leaves Granddaughter Alone With Loaded Gun: Police

An Arizona man left his 5-year-old granddaughter alone in a desert outside Phoenix with a loaded gun, authorities said Monday.

Paul Rater is charged with two counts of child abuse and one count of child endangerment after the girl’s mother reported her missing, Maricopy County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.

Rater admitted to leaving his granddaughter alone.

Police searched for her by helicopter and found her “all alone, in the desert” with a loaded and cocked .45-caliber handgun, the release said.

Rater was booked, but it was unclear if he had a lawyer, NBC News reported.

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