Man Pleads Not Guilty To Deadly Felony Hit-And-Run In La Mesa

EL CAJON, CA — A motorist who allegedly fatally struck an 18-year-old man in La Mesa, then fled and was arrested more than a month later, pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony count of hit-and-run causing death.

Scott Douglas Satterfield, 61, of Spring Valley, is accused of striking Jok Joseph Jok with a pickup on Feb. 27. The victim was found shortly after 9 p.m. lying on the eastern edge of the roadway on Bancroft Drive, just south of Golondrina Drive, according to the La Mesa Police Department.

He died in a hospital about a week later.

Investigators determined that Satterfield was the alleged hit-and-run driver via surveillance video that captured images of his white Ford F-150 in the area at the time of the traffic fatality, according to police.

Deputy District Attorney David Vallero said Satterfield's vehicle was located on March 16 with a cracked windshield and other damage consistent with striking a person.

The prosecutor said Satterfield was aware police were looking for him and had indicated to someone that he was considering turning himself in, but that never occurred.

Satterfield was arrested April 7 at an unidentified motel in Mission Valley, La Mesa police said.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Robert Amador said that while Satterfield has a minimal criminal history and no prior failures to appear in court, his alleged flight from the scene of the crash made setting cash bail appropriate.

The judge set bail at $25,000 bail, but a bail review hearing was scheduled for next week.

— City News Service