A North Carolina grand jury indicted a former county elections board chairman on felony charges after he allegedly placed pills in two teenage girls’ ice cream.
A New Hanover County grand jury handed down the indictment against James Edwin Yokeley Jr., 66, on Jan. 20, WBTV 3 reported. The grand jury charged him with two counts of unlawful distribution of food or beverage and one count of intentional child abuse involving serious physical injury.
Wilmington police alleged Yokeley placed pills into ice cream cones belonging to his 16-year-old step-granddaughter and her 15-year-old friend at a Dairy Queen in August 2025, according to Fox News. The girls discovered the pills and did not consume them. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage that allegedly showed Yokeley putting the pills into the frozen desserts. (RELATED: Democrat Says Sanctuary Sheriff Threatened Her To Kill Pro-ICE Bill)
The indictment identified the substance as trazodone, a prescription antidepressant commonly used to treat insomnia, Port City Daily reported. Initial field tests suggested the pills contained MDMA and cocaine, but official lab results showed no controlled substance under North Carolina law.
Police said 66-year-old James Yokeley flagged down an officer after his granddaughters found pills in their ice cream. Surveillance video revealed he put them there. https://t.co/YXpshKrStj
— WCNC Charlotte (@wcnc) August 28, 2025
Prosecutors dismissed the original charges on Dec. 22 and later presented the case to a grand jury.
Yokeley, a Republican, served as chairman of the Surry County Board of Elections at the time of his arrest, according to WRAL. State Auditor Dave Boliek had appointed him to lead the board in June 2025. Boliek called for Yokeley’s resignation after news of the arrest broke, and Yokeley stepped down shortly after.
“I have concluded that it’s in the best interest of the State Board of Elections and Surry County Board of Elections, regarding my own falsely accused circumstances, to step down at this time,” Yokeley wrote in his resignation letter.
An administrative hearing is scheduled for March 9 at the New Hanover County Courthouse, Port City Daily reported.