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Charleston police say a 35-year-old father left his 6-year-old daughter alone outside a West Ashley Target to hold a place in line for Pokémon cards. The child was unharmed and placed in emergency protective custody; the father was arrested and charged with unlawful conduct toward a child.
A 35-year-old Johns Island father was arrested after allegedly leaving his 6-year-old daughter alone outside a West Ashley Target to hold his place in line for a Pokémon Trading Card Game release, Charleston police said. The child was reported unharmed and placed in emergency protective custody with the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
Charleston Police Department officers responded to the store at about 2:30 a.m. Friday after receiving a report of an unattended child, according to WCBD News 2. Police identified the father as John-Michael Dooley. Several customers were waiting outside overnight for the release of a new Pokémon Trading Card Game set.
Witnesses told officers that sometime after 1 a.m., Dooley gave his daughter a pillow and blanket and left her in line. After roughly an hour passed without him returning, customers contacted law enforcement, officials said. Dooley later came back to the store, where witnesses identified him to officers, according to the report.
Officials said Dooley told detectives he left his daughter there to hold his place so he could go home without missing the chance to buy cards. He was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child and taken to a local detention center. Police said the girl was unharmed and transferred to the custody of the state Department of Social Services.
A Child Left Without Adult Supervision
The incident resulted in a criminal charge and a child’s placement in emergency protective custody. Police accounts describe a young child left outside a store overnight while adults waited for a product release; the child’s reported lack of injury does not change the central concern raised by the case: she was without her father at the location, according to officials.
The report also shows how other people in the line became part of the response. Customers noticed that the father had not returned and called police, who then took custody-related steps for the child. The public account does not provide details about any later family or court arrangements.
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Overnight Line for a Card Release
The store was drawing customers for a new Pokémon Trading Card Game set, and several people had gathered outside overnight, WCBD reported. The police response came in the early morning, after witnesses said the girl had been left in line and the father had been gone for about an hour.
The report identifies the location as a Target in West Ashley and Dooley as a resident of Johns Island. It does not name the specific card set or give details about the store’s release procedures. Those details are not necessary to the reported police action, which centered on the child being left unattended.
“The child was left alone by her father.”
— Charleston police, as reported by WCBD News 2
Details of the Case Still Unreported
The source report does not specify the calendar date of the Friday incident, the particular card set, or whether Dooley has entered a plea or appeared in court. It also does not report whether he has an attorney or provide a response from him. No outcome of any court proceedings or subsequent child-welfare decisions is included.
The account of the events comes from police and witnesses as relayed by WCBD News 2. The charge is an allegation, not a court finding, and the report does not describe evidence beyond the witness statements and officials’ account of Dooley’s interview.
Court and Child-Welfare Updates
Dooley’s criminal case may proceed through local court, but the available report does not list a hearing date or say whether he has been released from detention. Any future account of the case should distinguish the charge from a finding of guilt and include court records or statements from the parties when available.
The South Carolina Department of Social Services took the child into emergency protective custody. The report gives no timetable or details about her placement after that step. Further information about the child’s care and the case’s legal status has not been provided.
Key Questions
What do police say happened outside the Target?
Police said John-Michael Dooley left his 6-year-old daughter alone in line outside a West Ashley Target while he went home, intending to keep his place for a Pokémon card release.
Was the child injured?
According to the report, the child was unharmed. She was placed in emergency protective custody with the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
What charge does the father face?
Dooley was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child and taken to a local detention center, WCBD News 2 reported. The charge is an allegation, not a determination of guilt.
When did the incident happen?
Police responded at approximately 2:30 a.m. Friday. The source report does not provide the calendar date. Witnesses told officers the girl had been left sometime after 1 a.m.
What happens next in the case?
The report does not give a court date, plea or later custody arrangement. Updates would depend on court proceedings and information from the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
Source: counton2.com
