The Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration Figure Collection was released today. It’s one of many highly sought-after boxed products from the ongoing throwback collection, and many of those desperate to snag a box stood in line overnight in order for a chance to get one. That included at least one dad who took his daughter to a Target in Charleston, South Carolina after midnight. According to police, he abandoned her for over an hour while she saved his place in line.
Police were called to the scene after other customers grew anxious about the unattended child. She was only six years old. “Witnesses told police that sometime after 1 a.m., [the man] gave his daughter a pillow and blanket before leaving her asleep in line,” reported local broadcast affiliate Live 5 WCSC.
The father was allegedly gone for over one and a half hours before returning, at which point police arrested him. He reportedly told law enforcement that he had gone home after telling his daughter to keep his spot in the line. She was unharmed but has been placed in emergency protective custody with the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
There’s no shortage of terrible stories about the scalper-fueled chaos around Pokémon cards. People get in fights. Genuine fans miss out on new releases. And the rising value of Pokémon cards as collectibles has made them high-profile targets for burglaries and other criminal activity. The Bexar County Sheriff in Texas claims to have just busted an illegal gambling operation that was using Pokémon cards to bypass caps on prize earnings.
It all really sucks.