Father leaves sleeping 6-year-old in Target card line overnight

Charleston Police Department officers arrested John-Michael Dooley on Thursday, Nov. 6, after finding his 6-year-old daughter asleep outside a Target store. The child had been left alone overnight to maintain her position in a crowd waiting for a new Pokémon card set.

Officers arrived at the store around 2:30 a.m. in response to reports of an unattended child. They found the girl sleeping with a pillow and blanket. Dooley had placed her there sometime after 1 a.m. before walking away. The department stated that concerned customers called police after roughly an hour had passed without the father's return.

Dooley returned to the scene and was identified by witnesses. He was taken into custody, and investigators said he admitted to leaving his daughter to hold his spot while he went home. Authorities did not specify if he intended to buy the cards for himself or the child. The event marked the release of the Mega Evolution, Delta Reign expansion set.

The Pokémon franchise remains popular with children and adult collectors alike. Standard booster packs cost about $5, while rare cards often sell for thousands of dollars on the secondary market. The long line reflects the high demand for these specific trading cards.

Police confirmed the child was unharmed. She was placed in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Social Services. Dooley was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child. He has since been released from the Al Cannon Detention Center.

The incident occurred at a Target location in Charleston. The release of the new card set drew a large group of customers who gathered overnight to secure their places in line before the doors opened.