A state judge sentenced the driver who killed Honolulu police officer Garret Davis in a fiery crash on the H-1 freeway in 2012 to one year in prison Wednesday and ordered him taken into custody to immediately begin serving the sentence.

Scott Frederick Ebert went to trial in April for manslaughter. A state jury found him guilty of misdemeanor negligent homicide. One year is the maximum penalty.

Ebert did not testify at trial. At his sentencing Wednesday, he said he takes full responsibility for his actions, apologized to Davis’ family and the Honolulu Police Department, and asked the Davis family for forgiveness. Davis’ sister, Amanda Stevens, and current and former Honolulu police officers attended the sentencing hearing.

Davis’ mother, who attended Ebert’s trial, said in a letter read in court that she was too upset and heartbroken to attend the sentencing.

After several Ebert supporters — Ebert’s wife, sister-in-law, teenage daughters, stepdaughter’s grandparents and pastor — stood up in court to tell Circuit Judge Colette Garibaldi that Ebert is a good person who deserves leniency, Ebert himself asked Garibaldi for mercy.

“If they would allow me, I would like to work with the Davis family and with the Honolulu Police Department to support activities that benefit families of fallen officers,” Ebert said.

A federal firefighter and Air Force reservist, Ebert asked Garibaldi to allow him to continue serving his family, community and country.

Garibaldi cut short the parade of Ebert supporters, telling them she didn’t need to hear from any more of them to accept that Ebert is a not a bad guy. She also said she accepts that Davis, 28, likely saved the lives of two people whose vehicle was stalled in the fast lane of the freeway by placing his car behind theirs.

“This is not about Ebert versus the Davises or Ebert versus HPD. What we have here is a good person who made an incredibly selfish, stupid decision,” Garibaldi said.

Trial testimony established that Ebert was driving his full-size pickup truck at least 80 mph and did not brake before hitting Davis’ patrol car, which was stopped; that the patrol car had its flashing blue lights on; and that Ebert had been using his telephone while driving.

Witnesses testified that Ebert was on his way to Honolulu Airport to catch a flight for Air Force Reserve training on the mainland, and that he was running late. Shortly before the crash, Ebert had been making telephone calls to get permission to park his truck at the Federal Fire Department’s compound on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, near the airport.