Bad grandpa: grandfather slips mollies into granddaughter's ice cream at dairy queen, released from jail

Bad Grandpa: Grandfather Slips Mollies into Granddaughter’s Ice Cream at Dairy Queen, Released from Jail

Posted by
1 min read
August 28, 2025

Wilmington, NC – A family outing turned into a criminal investigation earlier this week after a North Carolina grandfather allegedly slipped pills into his granddaughters’ ice cream, prompting his arrest and a felony child abuse charge.

James Edwin Yokeley Jr., 66, was taken into custody after his two juvenile granddaughters discovered hard objects in their dessert from a Dairy Queen located on Oleander Drive. The children’s grandfather, Yokeley, had flagged down a Wilmington police officer near a Sheetz gas station on Shipyard Boulevard on Friday to report the incident, sparking an investigation that would later turn on him.

According to authorities, medical personnel evaluated both girls on the scene and determined that neither had ingested the pills. Initial field tests indicated that the substances were illegal narcotics, prompting their submission to the state lab for confirmatory analysis.

Bad grandpa: grandfather slips mollies into granddaughter's ice cream at dairy queen, released from jail
Photo: bad grandpa: grandfather slips mollies into granddaughter's ice cream at dairy queen, released from jail

What began as a concerned report quickly unraveled. Surveillance footage reviewed by Wilmington Police detectives revealed that Yokeley himself had placed the pills into the ice cream. He was subsequently arrested and charged with felony contaminating food or drink with a controlled substance, felony child abuse, and felony drug possession.

Yokeley, a former local elections board member in New Hanover County, was booked into the New Hanover County Detention Center and later released on a $100,000 secured bond. Investigators have not released further details about a potential motive.

The pills were discovered to be MDMA, known more commonly as Molly.

The case remains under active investigation, and authorities have not ruled out additional charges.

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

Facebook

Don't Miss