A North Carolina election official has resigned after being arrested for allegedly putting illicit drugs into ice cream that his granddaughters were consuming, police said.
James Yokeley Jr. flagged down an officer at a Sheetz gas station in Surry County, North Carolina, on Aug. 8, the Wilmington Police Department said. Yokeley told the officer that his two granddaughters, who were not identified, had found pills in ice creams purchased at a nearby Dairy Queen, according to a police statement released Wednesday.
The girls had not ingested any of the substances, the police department said. Preliminary field tests determined the pills were illegal narcotics. The pills were later determined to contain MDMA and cocaine, according to a warrant reviewed by CBS affiliate WGHP.
An investigation was opened. Police reviewed video footage that allegedly showed Yokeley, 66, placing the pills in the ice creams. He had been acting as the girls’ guardian for the weekend, WGHP reported.
Police did not share a possible motive. The investigation is ongoing, the department said.
Yokeley was arrested and charged with contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance and felony child abuse, the police department said. He was also charged with possession of a Schedule I narcotic. Yokeley was transported to the New Hanover County Detention Center and later posted a $100,000 secured bond.
Yokeley had been selected to lead the Surry County Board of Elections in June; he first became a member in 2023. He resigned on Thursday morning, following calls to step down, the State Board of Elections said. In his resignation letter, he wrote, “I remain prayerfully confident that I will be exonerated of all accusations levied against me.”
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
The post NC official allegedly put drugs in granddaughters’ ice cream, police say appeared first on CBS News.
