A hit-and-run driver who killed a promising young medical student in La Mesa was sentenced April 7 to three years in state prison and was ordered to pay $24,495 in restitution to his parents for funeral expenses. The parents of Jok Joseph Jok, 18, watched the sentencing of Scott Douglas Satterfield, 62, of Spring Valley, by El Cajon Superior Court Judge Robert Amador. "I tell you, sir, you're lucky this is all you're getting," said Amador to Satterfield. "Your actions are unbelievable." "Mr. Satterfield, you have inflicted so much pain. You deserve all of it," said Amador, referring to the three-year term. There could have been other charges filed such as vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and drunk driving, but it is unknown if he was drinking. Amador said hit-and-run drivers often flee if they have been drinking but it is not known if Satterfield was intoxicated that night as he was not arrested until six weeks later by La Mesa Police. Deputy District Attorney David Vallero asked for the three-year term in the plea agreement in which Satterfield pleaded guilty to felony hit and run. The maximum sentence is four years. The circumstances are unknown of the Feb. 27, 2021 collision which left Jok (pictured above) mortally injured on the edge of the roadway on Bancroft Drive south of Golondrina Drive in La Mesa because Satterfield left the scene and did not inform anyone what happened. La Mesa Police released photos of the white Ford F-150 pickup truck that left the scene and asked the public for tips. Jok's church contributed $4,000 to an existing $1,000 Crimestoppers reward for information leading to information for an arrest. It is not known if someone will collect any part of the reward. Joseph Jok, the victim's father, said he and his family came to the U.S. fleeing "a brutal war" in Sudan. "I was coming here to find peace and safety," he said. "He was an amazing kid. He received many awards," said Jok, who added that that his son was in the first year of medical school and wanted to study the human brain. The grieving father said he still has "pain and anguish," adding that "I'm not the same person anymore." Robin Stewart, one of Jok's teachers from La Jolla Country Day School, told the judge this: "I learned a lot from him. He changed my life as a 20-year educator. Michael worked tirelessly to bring change. He had a wonderful sense of humor. He did have great academic ambitions." Stewart said his death was "a loss to our society" and he would have had "a ten-fold impact on the world." Satterfield, wearing jail clothes and a white mask, did not make a statement. His girlfriend was in the audience. He was given credit for 256 days in jail and fined $670. - Neal Putnam is a local court reporter.
