South Carolina father charged after police say he left daughter, 6, asleep in Target line for Pokémon cards

A 35-year-old South Carolina man has been charged with unlawful conduct toward a child after police say he left his 6-year-old daughter sleeping alone outside a Charleston-area Target store to keep his place in line for a Pokémon card release, according to a WCSC report distributed by Gray News.

The man, identified as John-Michael Dooley, was arrested early Friday at the store in the West Ashley area of Charleston, the report said. The story was carried by several Gray-owned stations, including WCAX, WIS, Dakota News Now and Cleveland 19.

According to the report, a crowd of shoppers had been waiting outside the store through the night ahead of the release of a new set of Pokémon trading cards.

Witnesses told police that at some point after 1 a.m., Dooley provided the girl with a blanket and a pillow and then walked away while she slept in the line, WCSC reported. Other people waiting outside grew worried and contacted police after he had been away for roughly an hour, according to the report.

Charleston police officers arrived at the store at about 2:30 a.m. in response to a call about a child who had been left unattended, the report said.

When Dooley came back to the store, people at the scene pointed him out to officers, and he was taken into custody, according to WCSC. Police said Dooley told detectives that he had returned to his home and had left the child at the store so he would not lose his spot in line, the report stated.

The girl was not hurt, according to the report. She was placed in emergency protective custody with the South Carolina Department of Social Services.

The report did not say whether Dooley had an attorney or whether he had entered a plea, and it did not include details about a bond hearing or a scheduled court date. The charge against him is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

No outlet reported any statement from Target about the incident, and the report did not specify which Pokémon card set was being released. Overnight lines for limited trading card releases have drawn crowds to retail stores, but the coverage did not indicate how many people were waiting at the West Ashley location that night.

Compiled by True News from reporting by WCAX, WIS, Dakota News Now and Cleveland 19. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/852