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 grand jury in New Hanover County indicted James Edwin Yokeley Jr., 66, 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 (WPD), authorities allege that the grandfather placed pills into his 16-year-old step-granddaughter and her 15-year-old friend’s Dairy Queen ice cream cones in August 2025.
According to WECT, in a preliminary test, the pills tested positive for the psychedelic drug MDMA and cocaine.
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According to the local outlet, the teens had not ingested the pills and reported the discovery to police after finding the foreign objects in their desserts.
Investigators later reviewed surveillance video and allegedly found Yokeley placing the pills into the ice cream.
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Authorities initially charged him with contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance, felony child abuse and drug possession after preliminary testing suggested the pills could contain illegal narcotics.
The charges were dismissed on Dec. 22 after a lab test confirmed that the substance was not controlled under North Carolina General Statutes. Prosecutors later presented the case to a grand jury, resulting in the new indictment.
At the time of his arrest, Yokeley was serving as the chair of the Surry County Board of Elections. He resigned shortly after the allegations became public.
“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 the letter.
His next court appearance had not been scheduled. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Hanover Police Department for comment.
