# Man Left Granddaughter, 5, in Desert With Loaded Gun **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 3, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545 "2015-11-03T18:42:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/21 "2015-11-04T00:22:38Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > He may have had a weak or missing spine. Of course he was missing his spine. He gave it to the girl. It’s right there in the headline. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/22 "2015-11-04T00:23:48Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > He ordered a cheeseburger and drank up to four alcoholic beverages before making the call, according to the Sheriff’s Office. You have to admit _“Honey, I left our five year old granddaughter alone out in the desert with a loaded gun”_ isn’t a call you’re going to want to make sober. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/23 "2015-11-04T00:30:31Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You have to admit _“Honey, I left our five year old granddaughter alone out in the desert with a loaded gun”_ isn’t a call you’re going to want to make sober. He didn’t even tell his wife that. He just wanted her to pick him up. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/24 "2015-11-04T00:35:49Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > He didn’t even tell his wife that. He just wanted her to pick him up. That’s not news that you want to deliver over the phone. That is important enough for a face to face. ---
**Author:** ![CatastrophicFailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@CatastrophicFailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatastrophicFailure)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/25 "2015-11-04T00:47:14Z")
Maybe he was scared to go back to get the granddaughter. After all, he did tell her to shoot any bad guys she sees. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/26 "2015-11-04T01:02:15Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > As far as I can make out, he had nothing at all to do with her rescue. I have the impression she was reported missing before he mentioned it to anyone, and she was found without his help. > > From one of the links above: > It sounds like Rater didn’t call his wife until several hours after the girl was reported missing. Wow. What a flaming asshole. I hope this guy faces some negative consequences that are very very unpleasant. Either jail or to be left in the dessert days from anywhere covered in meat juice armed with a gun with zero bullets. ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/27 "2015-11-04T01:09:55Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It sounds like Rater didn’t call his wife until several hours after the girl was reported missing. Not you personally but in general how would you expect to pronounce his last name? Like it’s written? The local story I saw pronounced it ‘ratter’. Would this seem like a reasonable pronounciation or does this seem like some propaganda to make a bad person sound even worse? ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/28 "2015-11-04T01:10:53Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > You know what’s truly amazing - that Sheriff Joe is not the worst person in the story! > > I’m not sure I can handle that… But now you know what the people are like who vote for him. ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/29 "2015-11-04T01:11:29Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Wow. What a flaming asshole. I hope this guy faces some negative consequences that are very very unpleasant. Either jail or to be left in the dessert days from anywhere covered in meat juice armed with a gun with zero bullets. Meat juice and dessert. That sounds more like a reward than a punishment but then again, I’m not a gun man. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/30 "2015-11-04T01:12:13Z")
> [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](#): > > Meat juice and dessert. That sounds more like a reward than a punishment but then again, I’m not a gun man. :smack: 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/31 "2015-11-04T01:23:29Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > You know what’s truly amazing - that Sheriff Joe is not the worst person in the story! > > I’m not sure I can handle that… He actually sounds appalled. By the time Joe Arpaio is appalled, that’s some world-class appallement (is too a word). ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/32 "2015-11-04T01:31:11Z")
I would have settled for befuddled, but subtlety has never been one of Arpaio’s virtues. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/33 "2015-11-04T01:35:55Z")
Maybe gramps has early onset Alzheimer’s. ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/34 "2015-11-04T02:26:35Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > Maybe gramps has early onset Alzheimer’s. [Defense Team] Hmm, that’s good. Let’s keep an eye on this one! [\Defense Team] ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/35 "2015-11-04T03:29:20Z")
> [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](#): > > Not you personally but in general how would you expect to pronounce his last name? Like it’s written? The local story I saw pronounced it ‘ratter’. Would this seem like a reasonable pronounciation or does this seem like some propaganda to make a bad person sound even worse? The local news report I linked to above pronounced it “ray-der,” more or less what you would expect in English. I believe it is of German origin; I think the most likely German pronunciation would be “rah-ter.” ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/36 "2015-11-04T03:37:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Sheriff Joe Arpaio tells Reuters. “I don’t know how a 5-year-old can tell a good guy from a bad guy, but that’s what she said she was told.” > [@vd](#): > > I guess 5-year-olds can’t profile well enough. I’m sure Joe would teach her brown=bad & white=right. ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/37 "2015-11-04T11:28:56Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The local news report I linked to above pronounced it “ray-der,” more or less what you would expect in English. I believe it is of German origin; I think the most likely German pronunciation would be “rah-ter.” That’s what I was thinking. Ratter isn’t really close to a reasonable pronounciation. Still, is ray-der right or is it ray-ter which is what it is spelled like? If the German pronounciation is rah-ter then shouldn’t the anglo version be ray-ter? ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/38 "2015-11-04T12:36:34Z")
A strange tale, to be sure. Sounds like gramps’ mind might have wandered into a post-apocalyptic future world. \*“Ahma’ goin’ ta’ git some help. You jus’ hunker down by this here tree now an’ wait till ah git back. An’ if’n you see any o’ them gawd forsaken’ cannibal mutant vermin, you jes’ blow their brains out with this shotgun.” \* ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/39 "2015-11-04T12:38:44Z")
Are we sure this wasn’t some sort of strange viral marketing for Fallout 4? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545/40 "2015-11-04T12:42:37Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > Maybe gramps has early onset Alzheimer’s. Pretty early. “Gramps” is younger than me, fer cryin’ out loud! No way I’m lettin’ him off the hook pleading age as an excuse! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-left-granddaughter-5-in-desert-with-loaded-gun/736545.md?page=3)