A South Carolina father is facing a child-related charge after police say he left his 6-year-old daughter sleeping outside a Charleston Target while he went home, all to hold his place in line for Pokémon cards. That is a rough trade, a few packs of trading cards in exchange for a night of explaining yourself to police and child-protection officials.
According to the New York Post, John-Michael Dooley, 35, was waiting outside the Target in Charleston’s West Ashley neighborhood at about 1 a.m. Friday. Police said he gave his daughter a pillow and blanket while standing with numerous other people waiting for the new card release. The pillow and blanket gave her something to rest on, but they did not provide adult supervision.
Dooley, a Johns Island local, then left the big-box store, police said, leaving the girl alone in the line. More than an hour later, concerned people waiting nearby contacted police at around 2:30 a.m. Officers later encountered Dooley when he returned to the store. The child had been left outside while her father went home, according to police.
Police said Dooley confessed that he had gone home and left his daughter outside Target “so he could maintain his place in line and avoid missing the opportunity to purchase the cards,” according to the Charleston Police Department. It is difficult to imagine a clearer example of getting priorities badly scrambled. A line position can be replaced. A 6-year-old’s supervision is not a disposable accessory to a shopping trip.
Dooley was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child and booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center. His bond was set at $40,000, and online court records list a scheduled return to court on Dec. 12. Those are not exactly the kind of bonus items anyone expects to collect during a card release.
The girl was unharmed, police said, but she was placed into emergency protective custody with the South Carolina Department of Social Services. That detail matters more than the card drop. A child being physically unharmed does not make leaving her alone outside a store at 1 a.m. responsible parenting.
The Friday releases were part of Pokémon’s “Mega Evolution – Delta Reign” and “30th Celebration” collections. Crowds of dedicated fans lined up across the country, and packs started at around $5. That may explain why the line was busy, but it does not excuse leaving a child alone while chasing a place near the front.
Whatever the appeal of the collection, police say this particular shopping trip ended with a criminal charge, a $40,000 bond, and the child in protective custody. That is an astonishingly high price for trying to save a spot in line, and no collector’s item changes the basic responsibility involved.
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