ALEXANDRIA, La — A Catahoula Parish man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to possessing unregistered explosives and illegally possessing firearms.

Bill W. Womack, 56, of Manifest, pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered explosive device and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking before U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell.

He faces up to 10 years in prison for the explosive charge and a mandatory five years in prison for the firearm charge. He could also face three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and forfeiture of his weapons.

Womack was arrested in September 2014 after law enforcement officers responded to an explosion inside his estranged wife’s GMC Yukon.

The initial explosion set off a 5-day search around his residence and property — and which temporarily closed two highways in Catahoula Parish — that ultimately turned up machine guns, destructive devices, silencers, a short barreled rifle and more than a kilogram of marijuana.

The U.S. Attorney’s office, which prosecuted the case, said the specialized weapons were not registered as required by law.

Womack’s sentencing has been set for Dec. 18.