ISU Police have a man in custody they think may be responsible for the bottle bomb left outside Frederiksen Court student apartments last week.

Thomas C. Hoff, 21, of 3337 Frederiksen Court, was arrested Monday on a charge of reckless use of fire or explosives, a serious misdemeanor. If convicted, Hoff, senior in animal science, faces fines between $250 and $1,500, and up to a year in prison, said ISU Police Capt. Gene Deisinger.

Deisinger said investigations continued after the live bottle bomb outside Frederiksen was disposed of by Environmental Health and Safety workers. He said people have come forward with information about the crime. Police collected witness statements that led them to Hoff.

Evidence found at Hoff’s apartment led police to conclude that he was responsible for the devices, Deisinger said.

Deisinger said police learned Hoff had built three of the devices before Thursday and had thrown them out of his window onto the yard below. Police said they didn’t believe the two devices that had exploded caused any damage.

Deisinger said the devices had been made using water and a self-heating chemical, not unlike the substance used in military Meals Ready to Eat, or MREs.

The mixture of the two resulted in the creation of a caustic liquid that he said could have potentially caused harm to people or structures which came in contact with it.

He said, however, the situation would not have been life-threatening, even if the devices had exploded near a person. He referenced a similar incident in Urbandale a few days before, in which a woman suffered minor injuries after picking up a bottle bomb in her yard.

There is, as of yet, no reason to believe Hoff created the bombs with the intention of hurting anyone, Deisinger said.

Hoff turned himself in to ISU police and was arrested Monday. He was taken to Story County Jail and held on $2,500 bond.