A North Carolina man was taken into custody for allegedly attempting to poison his own granddaughters with narcotics hidden in their ice cream.
North Carolina man accused of poisoning his own grandchildren
Investigators say the trusted community figure tried to disguise dangerous drugs in a dessert meant for two children.
Police identified the suspect as 66-year-old James E. Yokeley Jr., who was arrested earlier this week and charged with two counts of felony contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance, felony child abuse, and felony possession of a Schedule I narcotic.
Authorities say the case unfolded quickly after Yokeley himself waved down an officer at a gas station and reported what appeared to be an alarming discovery.
According to the Wilmington Police Department, on August 8 an officer patrolling the area was stopped by Yokeley outside the Sheetz gas station on Shipyard Boulevard.
Yokeley told the officer that his two young granddaughters had come across “two hard objects in the ice cream they had recently purchased at the Dairy Queen located at 5901 Oleander Drive.”
Emergency responders were quickly called to the scene to check out the two children.
Medical teams determined that neither of the girls had actually ingested the pills that were lodged in their frozen treats.
That discovery, officials said, may have prevented the incident from becoming far more tragic.
“The two pills were collected, and preliminary field tests conducted indicated that the pills were illegal narcotics,” the statement from police explained.
“Those pills have since been sent to the State lab for further conclusive testing.”
Initial testing suggested the pills contained both cocaine and MDMA, more commonly known as molly, according to information from the arrest warrant.
North Carolina man discovered to be poisoner by video footage
At first glance, it appeared that Yokeley was merely reporting the incident to authorities. However, investigators soon pieced together a very different story.
Detectives began reviewing evidence and discovered that the grandfather himself had allegedly planted the drugs.
“WPD detectives were notified and opened an investigation,” the department’s release continued.
“During the investigation, it was determined by video footage that Yokeley had been the one who placed the two pills into both victims’ ice cream.”
The revelation stunned locals who knew Yokeley not only as a grandfather but also as a man who held a position of trust as a local election board leader.
The charges instantly turned what looked like a strange accident into an appalling betrayal of family.
Following his arrest, Yokeley was booked into the New Hanover County Detention Center and later released after posting a $100,000 secured bond.
The disturbing North Carolina case made headlines as another courtroom drama reached its conclusion in Alabama, where a chiropractor was sentenced to life in prison for a slow and sinister attempt to murder his wife with poisoned supplements.
Alabama chiropractor sentenced for poisoning wife
Brian Thomas Mann, 36, was convicted earlier this year after jurors heard testimony about how he tried to kill his wife, Hannah, by slipping lead into her vitamins.
The scheme nearly ended her life and left her with long-term health damage.
Prosecutors revealed that Mann stood to profit from millions of dollars in life insurance policies he had taken out on her.
Hannah, just 26 at the time, testified that her health spiraled downward beginning in August 2021.
She suffered severe abdominal pain, nausea, and weakness that eventually left her barely able to walk.
Doctors discovered she had lead levels up to eight times the norm, and she dropped 40 pounds during the ordeal.
She told the court that Mann discouraged her from seeking medical help, telling her she would just be sent home.
When she did seek treatment, doctors initially spotted a glittery substance in her stomach but did not immediately diagnose the poisoning.
As her condition worsened, she weighed only around 100 pounds by November 2021.
Hannah described her marriage as difficult from the beginning. The couple had dated only six months before marrying in 2018, and she said the first year and a half was “pretty rough.”
Things briefly improved after the birth of their first child in 2020, but by the following year her health collapse coincided with growing control by her husband.
She testified that he pressured her to delete her social media accounts and discouraged visits from her mother, who would only come over to see her when he was out and unaware.
Investigators later discovered that Mann had millions in insurance policies on his wife, including $1.3 million in active coverage and an attempt to secure another $1.5 million that was denied.
The potential payout prosecutors argued, was the motive behind the drawn-out poisoning.
Police arrested Mann in September 2022 after hospital staff confirmed the lead poisoning diagnosis.
He initially posted a $500,000 bond but soon lost that privilege when he allegedly failed to turn over his passport as required.
He was later found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison at his hearing this week.
