SC dad accused of leaving sleeping 6-year-old in Pokémon card line at Target

article Police car lights. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff) The Brief A South Carolina father is accused of leaving his young daughter alone in the middle of the night outside a Target store. Witnesses told police officers that the father gave his 6-year-old daughter a pillow and blanket around 1 a.m., then left her there alone. The father allegedly told detectives that he left the girl there to hold his place in an overnight line for Pokémon cards. A South Carolina man accused of leaving his 6-year-old daughter alone outside a Target store in the middle of the night allegedly told investigating officers that he left her there so he would not lose his place in line. The backstory: The young girl was found alone outside the retail giant’s store in Charleston, South Carolina, around 2:30 a.m. after someone alerted the police department to an unattended child, according to a statement by the city’s police department. When officers arrived, they spotted the girl amid a group of people who camped out ahead of the release of a new Pokémon trading card set. Left alone while sleeping Timeline: Witnesses told the officers the father gave his little girl a pillow and blanket around 1 a.m. and then left her there, alone and asleep. After about an hour, other individuals in the line grew concerned and contacted law enforcement, the Charleston Police Department statement said. RELATED: 1 cyclist killed, 20 hurt after impaired driver hits them, officials say When the father returned to the store, witnesses pointed him out and he was taken into custody, the statement continued. The police department states the father, identified as John-Michael Dooley, told detectives that he left the girl there alone so she could hold his place in line. What's next: The police department noted that the child was not hurt and indicated that she was placed into emergency protective custody. Dooley faces a charge of unlawfully putting a child at risk or causing harm or willfully abandoning the child. His initial court appearance is set for Dec. 12. The Source: Information for this article was taken from the Charleston (SC) Police Department. This story was reported from Orlando, Florida. Crime and Public Safety U.S.