The chairman of the Surry County Board of Elections was charged after Wilmington police said they found evidence he placed illegal narcotics in his granddaughters’ ice cream.
On Aug. 8, James Edwin Yokeley Jr. told an officer that his two juvenile granddaughters found two pills in ice cream purchased from Dairy Queen on Oleander Drive.
Investigators discovered video footage that showed Yokeley was responsible for placing the pills into the ice cream for both girls, police said. The pills tested positive for MDMA and cocaine, according to an arrest warrant.
Yokeley didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Dairy Queen, which has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the matter, also didn’t immediately respond.
The girls did not consume the pills, which were sent to the state lab for further conclusive testing, police said.
Yokeley was charged with contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance, felony possession of schedule 1 narcotics and felony child abuse, records show. He was transported to the New Hanover County Detention Center and posted a $100,000 secured bond.
In June, Yokeley, a Republican, was selected by State Auditor Dave Boliek to serve as chairman of the Surry County Board of Elections.
On Thursday, a day after news outlets picked up the story, Boliek called for Yokeley’s resignation.
“The arrest and investigation of the Surry County Board of Elections Chair is very disturbing. This matter distracts from election management in Surry County and must be addressed quickly and directly,” said Boliek. “Our office is built on holding individuals accountable. He needs to resign, and Surry County needs a new Board of Elections Chair. If he doesn’t resign, I’ll be requesting the State Board take action today to remove him as Chair.”
Source link
