SALEM, Va. — A former South Carolina police officer who pulled a gun on a female motorist in a fit of road rage was taken to jail Monday after giving up trying to overturn the firearms convictions against him.
A Roanoke County General District Court judge convicted Eric Cmeyla, 42, in April of two counts of brandishing a firearm. Cmeyla appealed and his new trial was scheduled to begin Monday in Roanoke County Circuit Court.
Instead, Cmeyla pleaded no contest and the judge upheld the convictions and the 120-day sentence.
Cmeyla, who has resigned from the Greenville, S.C., police department, was following a southbound car driven by Destinee Puckett on Interstate 81 on Feb. 11 when he became angry at her slow driving and pointed a gun at her, according to testimony at the April trial.
Puckett testified that she panicked when she saw the gun and slammed on her brakes, causing Cmeyla’'s Volkswagen Jetta to crash into her Nissan Maxima.
On the side of the road, an off-duty Cmeyla walked up to Puckett’'s car and tapped on her window with his police-issue 9mm handgun. Puckett called 911 as Cmeyla stood outside holding his gun and yelling at her. On a 911 recording played at the trial Cmeyla can be heard over the voice of a hysterical Puckett saying, “I could shoot you right now, you know that?”
Puckett was in court Monday, but left without talking to reporters.