Accused Pokémon card thieves arrested in California amid surge in thefts
Matt Finn reports on the growing number of Pokémon card thefts in California and elsewhere. In San Francisco, police arrested juvenile suspects accused of using pepper spray during a robbery involving high-tech tools. In a separate case in Brentwood, California, masked thieves reportedly took thousands of dollars’ worth of cards in less than a minute, leading the store owner to increase security.
A South Carolina man was arrested after allegedly leaving his 6-year-old daughter asleep outside a Target store overnight to save his place in line for a new Pokémon trading card release, police said.
Officers with the Charleston Police Department arrested 35-year-old John-Michael Dooley on Nov. 6 after responding to a Target at about 2:30 a.m. following a report of an unattended child.
Police said the girl had initially been waiting with her father among a crowd of customers who gathered overnight for the launch of a new Pokémon trading card set.
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Police said John-Michael Dooley, 35, left his 6-year-old daughter outside overnight to hold his place in line ahead of a new Pokémon trading card release. (Charleston Police Department/Getty Images)
According to police, Dooley gave his daughter a pillow and blanket sometime after 1 a.m., left her sleeping in the line and walked away.
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“After approximately an hour passed without his return, concerned customers contacted police,” the department said in a news release.
Witnesses recognized Dooley when he returned to the store, and officers arrested him. Investigators said Dooley acknowledged that he had left his daughter there to preserve his position in line while he went home.
A competitor displays a deck featuring a Determinazione Lylia card while playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game during the Pokémon Europe International Championships at ExCeL London on Feb. 13, 2026, in London, England. (John Keeble/Getty)
Authorities did not say whether Dooley intended to buy the cards for himself or for his daughter. The release took place alongside the debut of the newest Pokémon trading card expansion, Mega Evolution—Delta Reign.
The Japanese media franchise, built around fictional creatures, continues to attract children and adult collectors alike. Although regular booster packs sell for about $5, rare Pokémon cards can fetch thousands of dollars on the secondary market.
Police said the child was not injured. She was placed in the care of the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
Dooley faces a charge of unlawful conduct toward a child and was later released from the Al Cannon Detention Center, according to online jail records.
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