A New Hanover County grand jury has indicted former Surry County Board of Elections Chairman James “Jimmy” Yokeley Jr. on new charges related to an August incident in which he allegedly placed pills in drinks purchased for two teenage girls at a Wilmington Dairy Queen.
The Jan. 20 indictment includes two counts of unlawful distribution of food or beverage and one count of intentional child abuse with serious physical injury. The charges replace three drug-related charges that were dismissed in December after lab testing failed to confirm the presence of controlled substances.
Yokeley, 66, was appointed to the Surry County Board of Elections in July 2023 and named chairman by State Auditor Dave Boliek in June 2025. He resigned in August following his arrest in Wilmington…