The GOP election chairman of Surry County, North Carolina, was arrested after allegedly drugging the ice cream of his two granddaughters with cocaine and MDMA.
In a statement by the Wilmington police department, James E. Yokeley, 66, the chair of the Surry County Board of Elections, “flagged down” an officer on August 8 at a convenience store to report that his two granddaughters found “two hard objects” in their ice creams, purchased at a nearby Dairy Queen. The objects were found to be pills.
Neither juvenile ingested the pills, and field testing showed them to contain illegal narcotics. The pills were subsequently sent to a state lab for further testing.
During the investigation, officers examined video footage which showed Yokeley placing the pills in the ice cream of his granddaughters.
Yokeley was subsequently arrested and charged with felony child abuse, two counts of contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance, and felony possession of schedule 1 narcotics.
Yokeley was transported to the New Hanover County Detention Center before posting a $100,000 secured bond.
On Wednesday, Yokeley waived his right to a court-appointed attorney and was barred from seeing his granddaughters, according to NBC North Carolina affiliate WECT. Police report the investigation to be ongoing.
In a statement, the Surry County Board of Elections said it was “aware of the charges against Mr. Yokeley,” and “will continue to collect information about the situation.”
Yokeley was appointed to the chair position by State Auditor Dave Boliek in June. Speaking with North Carolina-based News & Observer, Boliek said Yokeley “needs to resign.”
“If I don’t get that resignation, my intent is today to ask the State Board of Elections to remove him,” Boliek said.
