Father Charged After Leaving Daughter in Target Line

Police said customers waiting overnight outside a Target in Charleston’s West Ashley neighborhood called for help after finding a child unattended. Officers arrived at about 2:30 a.m. on November 6 and found the 6-year-old girl alone.

Witnesses told police that Dooley, 35, had set out a cushion and cover for his daughter, then departed while she rested in the queue sometime after 1 a.m. Customers became concerned because he had not returned after roughly an hour.

After Dooley came back to the store, witnesses pointed him out, and officers took him into custody. Police said he told detectives that he had gone home, leaving his daughter there so he could save his spot for the launch of a new Pokémon trading card set.

The girl suffered no harm and was transferred to the care of South Carolina’s Department of Social Services. Dooley faced a charge of unlawful conduct toward a child. He was in custody at the Al Cannon Detention Center.