BOULDER, Colo.—A Longmont man has pleaded guilty to three felony counts of possessing explosives in a plea deal that will spare him jail.
Fifty-one-year-old Ronald Swerlein pleaded guilty Thursday in Boulder District Court.
He originally was charged last year with 10 counts of possessing explosives after police responding to complaints from neighbors and removed 400 chemicals, including volatile explosives, from his home. Swerlein told police he was trying to develop a model rocket fuel.
Under his plea agreement, Swerlein would be sentenced to six years of probation at a hearing set for Aug. 8. He would have to perform community service and undergo a mental health evaluation, and he would be barred from possessing any explosives.
