Surry County elections chair James Yokeley resigns after being accused of putting MDMA into grandchildren’s ice cream.
Wilmington Police Department arrested James Edwin Yokeley and charged him with felony child abuse, possession of a controlled substance and contaminating food with a controlled substance.
Wilmington Police Department News Release Re: James Yokeley Arrest
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
MAN ARRESTED FOR PUTTING PILLS IN FOOD
On August 8, 2025, while on patrol, a Wilmington Police Officer was flagged down by James Yokeley at the Sheetz gas station at 2517 Shipyard Blvd. Mr. Yokeley informed the officer that his two juvenile granddaughters had found two hard objects in the ice cream they had recently purchased at the Dairy Queen located at 5901 Oleander Dr. Medical personnel checked the two juveniles. It was determined that they had not ingested any of the substances. The two pills were collected, and preliminary field tests conducted indicated that the pills were illegal narcotics. Those pills have since been sent to the State lab for further conclusive testing. WPD detectives were notified and opened an investigation. During the investigation, it was determined by video footage that Yokeley had been the one who placed the two pills into both victims’ ice cream. Mr. James Edwin Yokeley Jr., age 66, has been charged with contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance and felony child abuse. He was transported to the New Hanover County Detention Center and posted a $100,000 secured bond. This is still an ongoing investigation.