Ex-elections official James Yokeley Jr. charged for hiding pills in ice cream

Former Elections Official in North Carolina Charged with Felony

A former county elections official in North Carolina faces felony charges after allegedly putting pills into the ice cream cones of two teenage girls. James Edwin Yokeley Jr., 66, has been indicted by a New Hanover County grand jury on two counts of unlawful food distribution and one count of intentional child abuse involving serious bodily injury.

According to the Wilmington Police Department, Yokeley is accused of adding the pills to the ice cream cones of his 16-year-old step-grandson and a 15-year-old friend at a Dairy Queen in August 2025. Preliminary tests indicated that the pills contained hallucinogens MDMA and cocaine.

The two teens discovered the pills and, thankfully, didn’t consume them. They promptly reported it to the authorities after noticing the foreign objects in their dessert. A review of surveillance footage allegedly showed Yokeley placing the pills into the ice cream.

Initially, Yokeley was charged with adulterating food and drink, as well as felony child abuse and drug possession. However, those charges were dropped on December 22 when lab tests concluded the substances were not classified as controlled under North Carolina law. Subsequently, prosecutors referred the case to a grand jury, leading to new indictments.

At the time of his arrest, Yokeley served as the chairman of the Surry County Board of Elections, but he resigned shortly after the allegations were made public. In his resignation letter, he cited concerns regarding the impact of his situation on the state’s election board.