What happened outside the Charleston Target
A man in Charleston, South Carolina, was arrested Friday after police said he left his 6-year-old daughter asleep outside a Target store so he would not lose his place in line for a new Pokémon trading card release. According to NBC News, which cited a Charleston Police Department news release, the girl was not harmed.
Officers went to the store in the city's West Ashley neighborhood at about 2:30 a.m. after a report of an unattended child. Police said they found the girl by herself. Authorities identified her father as John-Michael Dooley, 35, of Johns Island, South Carolina.
Police said many customers had gathered outside the store overnight in anticipation of the launch.
What witnesses told police
Witnesses told police that Dooley gave his daughter a pillow and a blanket and left her sleeping in the line sometime after 1 a.m. When about an hour passed and he had not come back, concerned customers called police, authorities said.
Dooley eventually returned 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 the child unattended so he could keep his spot in line.
Charge and the child's status
Dooley was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, police said. The release said he is being held at the Al Cannon Detention Center. NBC News reported that he could not immediately be reached for comment.
The girl was placed in emergency protective custody with the South Carolina Department of Social Services, according to police.
The police release does not say whether Dooley planned to buy the cards for himself or for his daughter.
The release that drew the crowd
The product at the center of the line was “Mega Evolution — Delta Reign,” the latest expansion for the Pokémon Trading Card Game, which went on sale Friday. The game is a bestseller, NBC News reported. The Japanese franchise began as a children's video game and centers on fictional creatures that players collect, train and battle. Packs start at around $5.
Launches of popular collectibles can draw shoppers to stores well before opening time. In this case, police said, the overnight wait led to a young child being left alone.
What remains unclear
The police release, as described by NBC News, does not lay out upcoming court dates or say how long the girl will remain in protective custody. It also does not include a statement from Dooley, who had not been reached for comment when the report was published.
Any further steps in the criminal case and in the child welfare matter would be handled by the courts and by the state agency involved.
