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

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

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

Many customers had gathered outside the store overnight in anticipation of the release, according to police. The latest expansion for the hit 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, focuses on fictional creatures that players collect, train and battle. Packs start at around $5.

The release did not specify whether Dooley intended to purchase the cards for himself or his daughter.

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

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

The child remained unharmed and was taken into emergency custody with the South Carolina Department of Human 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.