GERING, Neb. (AP) — A 39-year-old Mitchell man has made a plea deal in a case stemming from a bomb scare in the Nebraska Panhandle town.

Christopher Lopez pleaded no contest on Wednesday in Scotts Bluff County District Court to an attempted threat to use or place a bomb. Prosecutors had lowered the charge and dropped two others in exchange for Lopez’s plea. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 30.

Mitchell Police Chief Mike Cotant says an officer recognized Lopez as he fled a vehicle that had been parked behind the police station on Dec. 31. The officer raised an alarm when he smelled fuel coming from the vehicle and saw four fuel cans lashed together, sitting on the car’s dashboard.