The head of a county elections board in North Carolina resigned after a mere two months in office after police said they found video of him hiding drugs in his grandchild’s ice cream.
James Yokeley Jr., who until recently led the Surry County Board of Elections in North Carolina, reportedly warned police officers on Aug. 3 that two teens found hard items in their Dairy Queen ice cream, according to a report from NC Newsline.
The teenagers were his step-granddaughter and her friend.
But video footage seen by Wilmington Police allegedly showed that Yokeley was the one who placed the small blue pills in the desserts.
Field tests showed that the pills contained cocaine and MDMA.
Thankfully, the girls did not end up ingesting the drugs, according to police.
“He can be seen placing something on the counter, and it’s pretty apparent that when the employees make the drinks, he’s trying to observe if anybody’s observing him,” Wilmington Police Lt. Greg Willett remarked in a news conference on Friday, per Blaze Media.
Willett asserted that the surveillance footage “clearly shows Mr. Yokeley placing the pills in the ice cream.”
Yokeley, a Republican, has been charged with contaminating food with a controlled substance, felony child abuse, and possession of a Schedule I narcotic.
Yokeley has since resigned from the Surry County Board of Elections, to which he was appointed in June.
“This decision has not been made lightly. After much prayer, thoughtful reflection, and consultation, I have concluded that it is in the best interest of the State Board of Elections and the Surry County Board of Elections, regarding my own falsely accused circumstances, to step down at this time,” Yokeley wrote in a letter.
But the outgoing elections official maintained his innocence.
“Based on the truth and facts, I remain prayerfully confident that I will be exonerated of all accusations levied against me,” he said.
James Edwin Yokeley, Jr. (R) has resigned as chair of the Surry County Board of Elections after being arrested by the Wilmington for attempting to drug his grandchildren with pills testing positive for MDMA and cocaine
According to authorities, Yokeley flagged down police in… pic.twitter.com/ADjF8444od
— Old North Patriots (@oldnorthpats) August 28, 2025
Sarah Whisenant, the owner of the Dairy Queen, said that Yokeley entered the store as it was closing on Aug. 3 to buy the ice cream, per a report from WECT.
Police asked for the surveillance footage on Aug. 8, and Whisenant expressed that none of her employees would have done such a thing.
“Thank goodness we had video,” she said.
Yokeley made a court appearance on Aug. 27. He is not allowed to have contact with the girls, and he waived his right to a court-appointed attorney.
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