A South Carolina father left his 6-year-old daughter asleep with a pillow and a blanket in a line outside Target after 1:00 a.m. so the girl could hold his place to buy new Pokémon cards, police said.
John-Michael Dooley later acknowledged to detectives that he went home without his daughter, leaving her in line to “avoid missing the opportunity to purchase the cards,” the Charleston Police Department said in a Friday, November 6, news release.
Dooley, 35, of Johns Island, was arrested on charge of unlawful conduct toward a child after he returned to the Target in Charleston that morning, according to authorities.
Dooley was one of several customers who arrived at the Target in Charleston’s West Ashley district overnight to wait for the release of a new Pokémon trading card set, police said.
He had been waiting in line with his daughter until he left her alone after 1 a.m., witnesses told police.
The child was sleeping alone in line for around an hour, leading to “concerned customers” calling police, authorities said.
Customers identified Dooley as the girl’s father when he eventually returned to the store from his house, according to police.
“The child was unharmed and placed into emergency protective custody with the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS),” police said.
It’s unclear whether the girl is still in DSS custody. The agency didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry from Us on Monday, November 9.
Dooley was booked in the Al Cannon Detention Center, where he was held on a $40,000 bond, records show.
He later posted bond on Friday and was released, according to jail records.
Information on Dooley’s legal representation wasn’t listed in court records.
When reached by NBC News, Dooley declined to discuss the circumstances of his arrest in-depth, as advised by his attorney. He told the outlet that news reports had inaccuracies in relation to his arrest on Friday, when the Pokémon Trading Card Game: Mega Evolution — Delta Reign expansion set was released.
Dooley is due in court for his initial appearance scheduled for December 18, records show.
His arrest comes after a Florida mother was taken into custody on a plane for allegedly leaving her four children home alone as she flew to Las Vegas for a work trip in late October, Us previously reported. The children were ages 14, 12, 11 and 9.
