A South Carolina father is accused of leaving his sleeping 6-year-old daughter alone outside a Target for more than an hour so he could keep his spot in line for new Pokémon cards.
Quick Take
- Charleston police responded to a West Ashley Target around 2:30 a.m. on November 6 after someone reported an unattended child.
- Witnesses say the father gave his daughter a pillow and blanket before leaving her alone to go home.
- He faces one count of unlawful conduct toward a child after allegedly admitting he left to protect his place in line.
- The girl was placed in emergency protective custody with South Carolina’s child welfare agency.
What Police Say Happened Overnight
Charleston police officers went to a Target store in the 2000 block of Sam Rittenberg Boulevard around 2:30 a.m. on November 6, 2026. They responded to a call about a child left alone outside the store. Customers had gathered overnight ahead of a new Pokémon Trading Card Game release, a launch that has drawn large, sometimes tense crowds at stores nationwide.
Officers identified the child as the man’s 6-year-old daughter. Police said she had been left without any adult watching her outside the store. The man has been named in multiple reports as Dooley.
Witnesses Describe The Father’s Departure
Witnesses in line told police that Dooley gave his daughter a pillow and a blanket sometime after 1 a.m. Then he left her alone in line while she slept. He reportedly went home during that time. When he came back, the same witnesses pointed him out to officers on the scene.
Police say Dooley admitted to leaving his daughter unattended. He told officers he did it to keep his spot in line. He said he did not want to lose his chance to buy the new Pokémon cards.
Arrest And Child Welfare Response
Dooley was arrested and charged with one count of unlawful conduct toward a child. That charge reflects an official accusation, not a finding of guilt. The case will move through South Carolina’s court system, where the facts will be tested under the law.
After the arrest, police said the girl was placed into emergency protective custody. The South Carolina Department of Social Services took over her care. Officials did not report that the child suffered any physical injuries during the time she spent alone.
Child welfare researchers say lack of supervision is one of the most common reasons families end up in neglect investigations and court cases. Reviews of child protection data show it ranks among the top triggers for both initial reports and formal court proceedings, separate from this specific case.
A Broader Pattern Of Release-Day Chaos
This incident is not the only trouble tied to the Pokémon card launch. Stores across the country saw long overnight lines, with some shoppers camping out in tents or folding chairs. At a Target in Gilroy, California, accusations of line-jumping escalated into reported violence during the same release window, highlighting how scarcity and resale value can push ordinary shopping into risky territory.
The Charleston case stands out because it combines two familiar story lines. One involves consumer frenzy over limited-edition collectibles. The other involves child safety laws meant to catch dangerous neglect without punishing ordinary parenting choices. Authorities here treated the hour-long absence as serious enough to prompt an arrest and immediate state custody of the child.
No additional court dates or case developments have been publicly reported yet. The charge now moves forward through the standard criminal process, where prosecutors must prove each legal element beyond a reasonable doubt before any conviction can result.
Sources:
washingtontimes.com, nbcnews.com, wyff4.com, lawandcrime.com
