A 68-year-old North Carolina grandfather, James Yokeley Jr., is accused of spiking his granddaughter’s ice cream with narcotics. Yokeley is currently serving as a local board of elections chairman.
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According to a release issued by the Wilmington Police Department, the incident occurred on August 3. A police officer was flagged down by Yokeley while at a Shupyard Boulevard gas station. The grandfather informed the officer that two teenage girls had found pills in their Dairy Queen ice creams.
While the WPD reported that the two girls were Yoekeley’s granddaughters, WECT clarified that one of the girls was his step-granddaughter. The other juvenile was the 16-year-old’s friend. Furthermore, the WPD reported that the incident had occurred on August 8, but the date was later clarified by authorities.
As reported by WRAL, Yokeley had purchased the ice creams at the Dairy Queen on Oleander Drive. His granddaughter, who was driving, waited in the car with her friend. Once they found the pills, she drove to the gas station.
It was determined that the girls had not consumed the pills. The drugs found in them tested positive for Molly and cocaine, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the outlet.
Grandfather Charged, Chairman Resigns
Video footage obtained by WPD allegedly showed Yokeley placing the pills on the girls’ ice creams. As a result, he was arrested and charged with two counts of contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance, felony child abuse, and felony possession of Schedule I narcotics, as per WECT.
He has been released after posting a $100,000 secured bond.
The Oleander Drive Dairy Queen provided video surveillance footage of the incident and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
At the time of his arrest, James Yokeley Jr. served as the chairman of the Surry County Board of Elections (SCBE), as per WRAL. The SCBE issued a statement shortly after his arrest.
“The State Board of Elections and Surry County Board of Elections are aware of the charges against Mr. Yokeley, the chair of the Surry County Board of Elections,” the statement read, as per WECT. “We will continue to collect information about the situation and will provide support to the Surry County board, as needed, to ensure it is able to continue serving the county’s voters.”
Yokeley resigned from his position as chairman on August 28.