Prosecutor describes ‘increasing criminality’ for suspects in Modesto officer shooting
The man accused of shooting a Modesto police officer over the weekend was charged and arraigned on Tuesday, and three more people now face charges related to the shooting.
About a dozen Modesto Police officials, including Chief Brandon Gillespie, attended the defendants’ arraignments.
In addition to the attempted murder of officer Michael Rokaitis, 42-year-old Jesse Collins James Brooks is also charged with the attempted murders of officers Gaganpreet Billing and Jessica Davies.
Billing and Davies were not shot. Modesto police would not comment on where they were during the shooting.
Rokaitis was hit once in his ballistic vest and another round struck him in the lower abdomen, which injured an artery to his leg, according to MPD. He’s undergone multiple surgeries and has more ahead of him. He remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit of a local hospital.
The shooting occurred Saturday night while the officers were serving a search warrant at a home in the 3100 block of East Orangeburg Avenue.
They went to the home in search of Joshua Harrington, 34, who allegedly led officers on a pursuit when they tried to pull him over for driving recklessly on his motorcycle.
Harrington was also followed by a Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department air unit, which spotted him going into the East Orangeburg home.
Harrington is charged with evading a peace officer, possession of methamphetamine for sale and transportation of a controlled substance for sale.
Two women, Harley Rose Satariano, 29, and Katie Bible, 28, were also charged in connection with the case.
Harley Rose Satariano, 29, was charged with the attempted murder of Rokaitis. Like Brooks, she faces an enhancement for acting with premeditation but, unlike Brooks, she isn’t accused of an enhancement for personally and intentionally discharging a firearm, nor is she charged with the attempted murders of Billing and Davies.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeff Laugero, who is prosecuting the cases against all four defendants, said during Satariano’s arraignment that she was originally cited on lesser charges but was rebooked Tuesday for the attempted murder charge “based on ... (her) assistance with Mr. Brooks in that matter.”
“She has increasing criminality and the facts of this case show what a danger she is to the public if she were to be released,” he said while arguing that she should be held without bail.
The final defendant, Katie Bible, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm along with an enhancement for committing the crime while out on bail in an open home invasion robbery case.
“She was complicit in the circumstances ... surrounding the shooting of officer Rokaitis,” Laugero said in court.
Outside of court, neither Laugero nor Gillespie would comment on what specifically either woman is accused of doing on the night of the shooting.
Not guilty pleas were entered by a deputy public defender on behalf of all the defendants.
Satariano and Bible, who were charged together, are scheduled to return to court Thursday. Judge Jeff Mangar set Satariano’s bail at $1 million and Bible’s at $100,000. However, Bible has a no bail hold for a warrant on an unrelated matter out of Placerville.
Harrington also is being held without bail for a violation of his Post Release Community Supervision and is scheduled to return to court Wednesday.
Brooks’ bail was changed from $4.5 million to ‘no bail’ for the attempted murder case and he also has a hold for a federal parole violation.
“Based on the holds Mr. Brooks has in place, his increasing criminality and the nature of this case really shows that he is a danger to the public,” Laugero argued.
According to the criminal complaint, he was convicted in 2016 on a federal charge of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to five years in prison. His daughter told The Bee he was released from prison a few months ago.
Brooks did not waive time for his preliminary hearing, which determines if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial, so one was scheduled for Sept. 21. A pretrial hearing was also scheduled for Aug. 31.
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 5:07 PM.
