North Carolina Election Official Arrested, Accused Of Spiking Granddaughters' Ice Cream With Drugs

A state-appointed North Carolina elections charismatic resigned from his station connected Thursday, officials said, aft he was arrested and accused of spiking his granddaughters' crystal pick pinch illicit narcotics.

James Edwin Yokeley Jr., 66, had been president of the Surry County Board of Elections earlier he submitted his missive of resignation.

"This determination has not been made lightly," Yokeley wrote to nan board. "After overmuch prayer, thoughtful reflection and consultation, I person concluded that it's successful nan champion liking of nan State Board of Elections, regarding my ain falsely accused circumstances, to measurement down astatine this time."

Yokeley had stopped astatine a Sheetz state position connected Aug. 8 and flagged down a passing constabulary serviceman to study that "his 2 juvenile granddaughters had recovered 2 difficult objects successful nan crystal pick they had precocious purchased astatine nan Dairy Queen" astir 4 miles away, according to a Wilmington constabulary statement.

The girls didn't devour nan pills which were later tested and recovered to beryllium "illegal narcotics," constabulary said.

Video footage taken from that Dairy Queen showed that it was Yokeley who "had been nan 1 who placed nan 2 pills into some victims’ crystal cream," constabulary said.

Yokeley was booked connected suspicion of contaminating nutrient pinch a controlled constituent and felony kid abuse, constabulary said.

Messages near astatine publically listed telephone numbers of nan suspect, his family and workplace were not instantly returned connected Thursday.

In his letter resigning from nan elections board, Yokeley said: "Based connected nan truth and facts, I stay prayerfully assured that I will beryllium exonerated of each accusations leveled against me."

Yokeley was appointed to nan Surry County elections committee by State Auditor Dave Boliek successful June of past year. Boliek could not beryllium instantly reached for remark connected Thursday.

Yokeley had antecedently tally for a spot connected nan Surry County Board of Education. He was a comparatively competitory third-place finisher successful nan 2022 Republican superior for nan District 4 race, finishing pinch 26.69% of nan vote.

Throughout that section campaign, Yokeley focused connected his grievances pinch nationalist Covid policies and whether votes successful 2020 national elections were decently counted, according to title victor T.J. Bledsoe.

"I disagreed pinch immoderate ways that things were handled pinch masks and those types of things (during nan pandemic) but it was complete by then. We had moved forward," Bledsoe told NBC News connected Thursday. "I deliberation we were each confused (by Yokeley's Covid and voting attraction successful a section race)."

After falling short successful that race, Yokeley continued to usage that campaign's societal media to advocator for anti-vaccine stances.

He cited nan Children’s Health Defense, nan non-profit of anti-vaccine activistic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., connected Nov. 21, 2022 saying a "wave of justness is swelling against employers" mandating vaccination against Covid.

In a Dec. 7. 2022 posting, Yokeley said "big pharma" and nan national authorities were lying astir Covid vaccines that he claims — pinch nary grounds — person "caused much adverse effects and deaths than each erstwhile vaccines combined."

Studies person overwhelmingly demonstrated that Covid vaccines are safe and effective, and that astir broadside effects are mild aliases moderate.