South Carolina man arrested after leaving sleeping 6-year-old daughter in line for Pokémon card release, police say

A man was arrested in Charleston, South Carolina, on Friday after leaving his 6-year-old daughter asleep outside a Target to hold his place in line for the release of a new Pokémon trading card set, police said.

Officers responded around 2:30 a.m. to the Target in Charleston’s West Ashley neighborhood after a report of an unattended child, the Charleston Police Department said in a news release. They found the girl alone. Police identified the father as John-Michael Dooley, 35, of Johns Island, South Carolina.

Numerous customers had gathered outside the store overnight in anticipation of the release, according to the police. The latest expansion for the bestselling Pokémon Trading Card Game, “Mega Evolution — Delta Reign,” went on sale Friday. The decades-old Japanese franchise, which began as a children’s video game, centers on fictional creatures that players collect, train and battle. Packs starts at around $5.

The release does not say whether Dooley intended to buy the cards for himself or his daughter.

Witnesses told police that Dooley gave the girl a pillow and blanket before leaving her asleep in line sometime after 1 a.m. After about an hour passed without his return, concerned customers called police, authorities said.

When Dooley came back to the store, witnesses identified him and he was arrested, according to the release. Police said he admitted that he had gone home and left his daughter unattended so he could keep his place in line.

The child was unharmed and placed in emergency protective custody with the South Carolina Department of Social Services, police said.

Dooley was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child. He is being held at the Al Cannon Detention Center, according to the release, and could not immediately be reached for comment.