A North Carolina county election official has resigned after being charged with contaminating his grandchildren's ice cream with illegal drugs.

Republican Chair of the Surry County Board of Elections James Edwin Yokeley Jr. stepped down Thursday citing "falsely accused circumstances," after nearly a month of calls for him to quit. He said he was confident he would be "exonerated of all accusations levied against" him.

He had been taken into custody and charged with felony child abuse, drug possession, and contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance after an incident on August 8, 2025, involving his two granddaughters.

Newsweek contacted The State Board of Elections and The Surry County Board of Elections for comment via email outside of normal office hours on Friday.

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