Stockton man ordered to stand trial in attack on Ceres woman

A police officer in court on Tuesday described how a Ceres woman was watering her front lawn early last year when he says she was targeted by a man recently released from jail.

Ceres police Officer Ross Bays testified that the woman fought back with a piece of broken glass after the intruder smashed a window and crawled into her home last year.

Aaron Modisett-Hollie, 19, of Stockton has been charged with burglary and assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense during a burglary.

Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Dawna Reeves ruled there was sufficient evidence for the defendant to stand trial. She scheduled Modisett-Hollie, who remains in custody at the jail, to return to court April 21 for an arraignment hearing.

The judge made her ruling at the conclusion of the defendant’s preliminary hearing Tuesday. Bays testified in the hearing that Modisett-Hollie was bored and had wandered from Modesto to the 2100 block of Moffet Road in Ceres, where the attack occurred shortly after 9 a.m. Feb. 18, 2014.

Before the attack, the defendant had been released early after serving a jail sentence for an assault conviction with the intent to commit rape. Bays said Modisett-Hollie didn’t want to return to Stockton before meeting probation officials because he didn’t have transportation. So he decided to stay in the area.

Bays said the defendant later told him that he spotted the woman watering her lawn. She’s identified in court as Jane Doe. Modisett-Hollie noticed she was alone and watched her walk into her home before he tried to enter through the front door, according to the officer.

The defendant couldn’t enter through the door, so he walked around the home and entered the property through the home’s backyard. Bays testified that Modisett-Hollie grabbed a brick and smashed the window. He said the defendant told him that the woman started screaming as he crawled through the broken window.

Bays said Modisett-Hollie initially told him he intended to get inside and convince her she would be OK because he was only going to burglarize her home.

During cross-examination, Bays testified that he changed his line of questioning once the defendant told him about his prior conviction. Before that, the officer said, there was no suspicion that Modisett-Hollie had intended to commit a sexual assault.

After Bays changed his line of questioning, the defendant said he entered the home to have sex with the woman and he intended to knock her out, according to the officer’s testimony. Bays said Modisett-Hollie believed he could overpower the woman because she was alone.

Jane Doe told the officer she tried to stab the intruder with the piece of glass but wasn’t sure if she had cut him. Bays testified that the defendant left the home but was captured in a nearby field.

The officer found Modisett-Hollie with what appeared to be a fresh cut on his neck and some blood on his clothes. “He appeared out of breath, very fatigued,” Bays said about the defendant.

During cross-examination, Bays testified that Modisett-Hollie said he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

A year ago, the court determined the defendant was mentally competent to face charges in this case. The judge’s ruling was based on a doctor’s report of Modisett-Hollie’s mental health evaluation, which determined he understands the charges against him and can assist his attorney in his defense.

This story was originally published April 7, 2015 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Stockton man ordered to stand trial in attack on Ceres woman."