Dad Arrested After Leaving 6-Year-Old Daughter Asleep Outside Target for Pokémon Cards While He Went Home

Police in Charleston, South Carolina, say John-Michael Dooley went home early on Friday, leaving his six-year-old daughter asleep outside Target to hold his place in a queue for Pokémon cards. Officers arrested him when he returned to the store.

Customers had gathered overnight at the shop in the city's West Ashley neighbourhood for the release of a new set of trading cards. Some had seen Dooley leave and were still waiting about an hour later. Concerned that the girl was there without her father, they called police.

Dooley, 35, of Johns Island, was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child and has since been released from custody. His daughter was unharmed, police stated.

What Dooley Told Detectives About the Pokémon Cards

The people waiting outside Target could tell officers roughly when they had seen Dooley leave. Where he had gone in the meantime, and why he wanted his daughter to stay in the queue, emerged when detectives interviewed him, according to the department.

Dooley acknowledged that he had gone home and left his daughter unattended. He told detectives he wanted to take up the same place in the queue when he returned to the shop. Leaving the girl there was his way of holding that place so he would still have a chance to buy the cards, according to police. The police account does not say why he went home.

A Pillow and Blanket in the Queue for Pokémon Cards

Witnesses put Dooley's departure at some point after 1am on Friday. He had provided his daughter with a pillow and a blanket, they told police. By the time he left his place in the queue, the young girl was asleep.

Numerous people were still outside the shop at that hour, the department stated. Police described the girl as unattended. For the customers waiting alongside her, it was the length of time her father had been gone that prompted them to call for help.

A Target spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that the West Ashley store was closed at the time of the incident. The spokesperson also told the broadcaster that the company would cooperate with law enforcement in the investigation.

The Call From Customers Waiting for Pokémon Cards

Officers responded to a report of an unattended child at around 2:30am. The hour or so that witnesses described was the interval between Dooley's departure and the customers' call for help. Officers were already at the store when he eventually came back.

Witnesses identified Dooley to the officers who had answered the call, and police arrested him there. The department did not specify when he returned, so the full length of his absence is unclear.

A Charleston Police Department spokesperson confirmed Dooley's release, citing records from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office website.

After officers responded to the call at the West Ashley store, Dooley's daughter came into the care of the South Carolina Department of Social Services. Charleston police described the arrangement for the six-year-old as emergency protective custody.