PARIS – A Dixfield man pleaded guilty Monday to dropping an acid bomb near a police cruiser during an underage-drinking party.

Michael Shane Rowe, 25, of 5 Abbott Hill Road in Dixfield, pleaded guilty in Oxford County Superior Court to Class C criminal use of explosives as well as Class D allowing a minor to consume alcohol. Justice Andrew Horton sentenced him to serve 60 days of a two-year sentence and two years of probation.

Rowe will begin his sentence on April 10. He will also pay a $300 fine.

The incident occurred in December 2007 after police were called to Rowe’s Cumberland Street apartment in Rumford for a report of underage drinking. Rowe was charged with dropping an acid bomb into a snowbank from the third floor.

The bomb exploded beside a police cruiser as it drove up to the residence.

Police mistook the detonation for a gunshot, and the Maine State Police Tactical Team was brought in for backup. Rowe and four juveniles complied with police requests to exit the apartment.

An acid bomb is a mixture of acidic and basic solutions or aluminum foil in a sealed container that explodes when the pressure of the gases given off builds.

Rowe was charged with Class C criminal use of explosives, Class C reckless conduct, and Class D allowing a minor to consume alcohol.

The District Attorney’s Office dropped the charges shortly after the incident for lack of evidence, but a grand jury indicted Rowe on the same charges in February 2008.