NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – A man has been arrested and charged for allegedly drugging Dairy Queen Blizzards given to his two grandchildren.
According to the Wilmington Police Department (WPD), 66-year-old James Yokeley flagged down a Wilmington Police Officer at a Sheetz gas station at Shipyard Boulevard on Aug. 8.
Yokeley told the officer that his granddaughters had found two pills in the ice cream they had bought at the Dairy Queen (DQ) on Oleander Drive.
Medical personnel examined the two girls and found they did not ingest the substance. Additionally, WPD reports that the blue pressed pills were tested in the field and were positive for MDMA and Cocaine.
According to Sarah Whisenant, the owner of the DQ on Oleander, Yokeley came in just as the store was closing on Aug. 3 to order blizzards for his granddaughters; there were only four staff members on duty at the time.
Whisenant said detectives approached the establishment to request their security camera footage on Aug. 8. She mentioned she did not recognize Yokeley or his granddaughters and emphasized that none of her staff would have done this.
“Thank goodness we had video,” said Whisenant.
WPD claimed the video footage from DQ showed Yokeley had been the one who put the two pills into the ice cream.
Yokeley has been charged with:
- Two counts of felony contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance
- Felony child abuse
- Felony possession of Schedule I narcotics
In a statement, WPD states that the investigation into this case is ongoing. WPD says this is not a typical incident.
Unfortunately, things you least expect can happen. We are dedicated to justice and working through the process. Fortunately, these young victims had self-awareness, which prevented them from ingesting these pills.
Yokeley appeared in court on Aug. 27 and waived his right to a court-appointed attorney. He’s not allowed to have contact with the two children involved.
Yokeley served as the chair of the Surry County Board of Elections, but has resigned as of Aug. 28.
At the time of his arrest, the North Carolina State Board of Elections sent the following statement to WECT:
The State Board of Elections and Surry County Board of Elections are aware of the charges against Mr. Yokeley, the chair of the Surry County Board of Elections. 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.
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