A South Carolina father is facing a child neglect charge after police say he left his sleeping 6-year-old daughter alone outside a Target at 2:30 a.m. so he could keep his spot in line for new Pokémon cards.
Story Snapshot
- Charleston police found the child alone outside a West Ashley Target early on November 6, 2026.
- Witnesses say the father, identified as Dooley, gave her a pillow and blanket before leaving for about an hour.
- Dooley was arrested and charged with one count of unlawful conduct toward a child.
- The South Carolina Department of Social Services placed the girl in emergency protective custody.
- Police say Dooley admitted leaving to protect his place in line for a Pokémon card release.
Officers Respond To Unattended Child Call
The Charleston Police Department said officers were called to the Target store in the 2000 block of Sam Rittenberg Boulevard around 2:30 a.m. on November 6, 2026. Someone reported an unattended child outside the store. Officers arrived and found the girl alone, asleep among a crowd of customers waiting overnight for a new Pokémon card set.
Police identified the child as Dooley’s 6-year-old daughter. They said she had been left without any adult watching her, outside in the middle of the night, among strangers in a retail line.
Witnesses Describe The Father’s Departure
Witnesses in line told police that Dooley set his daughter up with a pillow and a blanket sometime after 1 a.m. He then left her there alone and went home, according to the police account. When he came back, people in line recognized him and pointed him out to officers on the scene.
That gap between when Dooley left and when police responded appears to have lasted roughly an hour, based on witness statements. The exact time he departed and the exact time he returned are not laid out in full in the available police account.
Father Charged After Admitting Motive To Police
Police say Dooley admitted he went home and left his daughter behind so he would not lose his place in line. He reportedly told officers he did not want to miss the chance to buy the new Pokémon cards, which have drawn large overnight crowds at Target stores across the country this fall.
Dooley was arrested and charged with one count of unlawful conduct toward a child, according to police. The charge reflects an arrest, not a conviction. No court outcome has been reported yet.
Child Placed In Protective Custody
After the arrest, the South Carolina Department of Social Services took emergency custody of the girl. Police said this step followed standard child-welfare procedure once a minor is found unsupervised in a public place at night.
Reports describe the child as unharmed. They do not include a detailed medical or welfare assessment explaining exactly what risks authorities weighed before placing her in protective custody.
Pokémon Card Releases Have Sparked Other Incidents
This is not the only clash tied to the current wave of Pokémon card releases. Overnight lines at Target and other retailers have drawn scalpers and bargain hunters nationwide, sometimes leading to shoving, arguments, and even reports of weapons being pulled when people believed others were cutting the line. Scarcity and resale value have turned ordinary shopping queues into high-tension standoffs.
Child-welfare researchers note that “lack of supervision” is one of the most common reasons families end up facing neglect investigations in the United States. Cases range from clear danger to kids simply walking to a park alone, and courts must weigh how much real risk a child faced. The Dooley case sits at that line, with police and prosecutors now deciding how serious his daughter’s exposure to the outdoors, strangers, and nighttime hours really was.
Sources:
washingtontimes.com, wyff4.com, lawandcrime.com
