US man leaves child alone with loaded gun... To go for burger

An American man was arrested for leaving his five-year-old granddaughter in the Arizona desert with a loaded gun while he went off to have a hamburger, authorities have said.

The child's family reported her missing four hours after Paul Rater, 53, left his home Sunday night in the town of Buckeye.

Authorities launched a search operation and relatives ended up finding the girl in a desert area with a loaded pistol, said a statement yesterday from the sheriff's office in Maricopa County.

Rater acknowledged having abandoned the girl so he could go off for drinks and a hamburger.

Rater was jailed Monday on charges of abusing and abandoning a child.