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Judge has harsh words for reckless grandfather Man left toddlers alone in car near two loaded guns A Jackson County judge had some choice words for a Central Point man whose judgment as a baby-sitter landed him in court Monday. Prosecutors said Charles Lawrence Dauster left his grandsons alone in a car -- along with two loaded pistols -- while he shopped for groceries last summer at Ray's Food Place in downtown Central Point. The boys were 2 and 4 years old. In exchange for no-contest pleas on charges of second-degree child neglect and reckless endangerment, Judge Patricia Crain placed Dauster on 18 months of supervised probation. But first she asked the defendant if he had anything to say for himself. He did. Dauster, who turned 62 Monday, informed the court that he told the boys not to play with the guns. Also, he said, the younger boy was strapped into a child car seat. Hearing this, the judge could contain herself no longer. "That's just the first problem," she told the defendant, referring to the car-alone scenario. "It's unbelievable to me. There's so many stupid things you did. "You're lucky something bad didn't happen," she added, noting that toddlers have a tendency to disobey warnings about dangerous playthings. "These were little tiny kids." According to Deputy District Attorney Judi Harper, the case began when a customer at the grocery store spotted the boys alone in the car on the night of July 2. The time was 9:39 p.m., and somebody called the police. The boys were in the back seat, officers noted on arrival. They also noted the presence of two pistols -- a .38-caliber revolver and a .22 -- lying on the front seat. Both guns were loaded. Dauster was detained as he returned to the car. As part of the sentence, Crain ordered Dauster to attend a gun-safety course as well as parenting classes. She also imposed a $300 fine. In addition, she confiscated the .38 and told Dauster to return the .22 to its owner. It was unclear in court who the gun belonged to. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA