The Mississippi Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a man who tried to kidnap a woman while wielding a knife and pretending to be a police officer.

Justices ruled Thursday that Louis Winston Scott’s arguments to set aside his indictment and conviction were without merit, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported.

The May 2019 conviction stemmed from an August 2017 incident. Investigators said Scott impersonated a police officer by using a phone application that simulated a flashing police light. He pulled over a woman in Lee County and threatened her with a knife, but she drove away.

Scott was convicted of attempted kidnapping. He had two prior convictions for sexual battery and was sentenced to life in prison with parole under a habitual offender statute that left the trial judge with no sentencing discretion.