A North Carolina election official has resigned following his arrest for allegedly spiking his granddaughters' ice cream with illegal drugs. James Edwin Yokeley Jr., 66, was the chairman of the Surry County Board of Elections before stepping down on Thursday.

On August 8, Yokeley flagged down a police officer at a Sheetz gas station in Surry County. He reported that his two granddaughters had discovered pills in ice cream they purchased from a Dairy Queen nearby. According to police, the girls did not consume the pills. Preliminary tests identified the substances as illegal narcotics, later confirmed to be MDMA and cocaine.

Video footage from the Dairy Queen reportedly shows Yokeley placing the pills into the ice cream. He had been acting as the girls' guardian for the weekend. Yokeley was charged with contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance, felony child abuse, and possession of a Schedule I narcotic. He was taken to the New Hanover County Detention Center and later released on a $100,000 secured bond.

In his resignation letter, Yokeley stated, "This decision has not been made lightly. After much prayer, thoughtful reflection and consultation, I have concluded that it's in the best interest of the State Board of Elections, regarding my own falsely accused circumstances, to step down at this time." He expressed confidence in his eventual exoneration.

Yokeley was appointed to the Surry County elections board in June 2022. He previously ran for a seat on the Surry County Board of Education, finishing third in the 2022 Republican primary with 26.69% of the vote. His campaign focused on grievances related to national COVID-19 policies and election integrity.

Following his arrest, the State Board of Elections received calls for Yokeley to resign. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and police have not disclosed a possible motive for Yokeley's actions.