A Republican official in a North Carolina county has been accused of trying to drug his granddaughters.
James Edwin Yokeley Jr., 66— who was selected to chair the Surry County Board of Elections in June—was charged after police say he slipped illegal narcotics into his granddaughters’ ice cream.
According to the Wilmington Police Department, Yokeley approached an officer on Aug. 8 at a Sheetz gas station and told him that his granddaughters found two pills in ice cream they purchased from a Dairy Queen.
However, video footage revealed that Yokeley was the person who placed the pills in the girls’ ice cream.
The two girls did not consume the pills. Preliminary field test confirmed that the pills were illegal narcotics and they were sent to the state lab for further testing. The pills tested positive for MDMA and cocaine.
Yokeley was arrested and charged with two felony counts of contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance, felony possession of schedule 1 narcotics and felony child abuse.
He was transported to the New Hanover County Detention Center and posted a $100,000 secured bond, according to NBC affiliate WRAL.
Yokeley appeared in court on Wednesday and waived his right to a court-appointed attorney. He’s not allowed to have contact with his grandchildren.
In a statement the North Carolina State Board of Elections and the Surry County election board say they are “aware” of the charges against Yokeley.
“We will continue to collect information about the situation and will provide support to the Surry County board, as needed, to ensure it is able to continue serving the county’s voters,” the statement continued.