A former county elections official in North Carolina has been indicted on felony charges after authorities say he placed pills into the ice cream cones of two teenage girls.
A New Hanover County grand jury indicted former Surry County Board of Elections Chair James Edwin Yokeley Jr., 66.
He was indicted on two counts of unlawful distribution of food or beverage and one count of intentional child abuse involving serious physical injury, according to court records reviewed by WBTV.
According to the Wilmington Police Department, investigators allege Yokeley placed pills into the Dairy Queen ice cream cones of the two young girls.
The victims were his 16-year-old step-granddaughter and her 15-year-old friend.
The alleged drugging attempt occurred in August 2025.
WECT reported that preliminary testing indicated the pills tested positive for the psychedelic drug MDMA and cocaine.
The outlet also reported that the teens did not ingest the pills.
Instead, the girls contacted the police after discovering foreign objects in their desserts.
Investigators later reviewed surveillance video.
They allegedly observed Yokeley placing the pills into the ice cream.
Authorities initially charged Yokeley with contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance, felony child abuse, and drug possession after early testing suggested the pills contained illegal narcotics.
Those charges were dismissed on December 22 after laboratory testing confirmed the substance was not controlled under North Carolina General Statutes.
Prosecutors subsequently presented the case to a grand jury.
The grand jury then returned the new indictment.
At the time of his arrest, Yokeley was serving as chair of the Surry County Board of Elections.
He resigned shortly after the allegations became public.
In his resignation letter, Yokeley wrote:
“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’s next court appearance has not yet been scheduled.
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