An Alabama man who allegedly tried to firebomb a Fayette County home was in custody here within 24 hours of the incident, according to the Fayette County Sheriff's Department.

Det. Keith Whiteside said that Charles E. Evans, 40, of Ft. McClellan, Ala., was returned to Fayette County facing charges including possession of an incendiary or explosive device. More charges are pending, he added.

The incident took place at a home in the northern part of the county, Whiteside said, "but there may be another person involved, so we are not releasing the location or the victim's name." He did credit information from the victim with helping find the suspect so quickly.

Whiteside said that about 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 21, deputies responded to the location and found that the resident had put out a grass fire on his front lawn that appeared to have been started by a "Molotov cocktail." But the device failed to ignite the house, Whiteside said.

With a description of the car seen at the location, and the victim's account of "an ongoing dispute with some people known to the victim," deputies were able to identify the suspect and track him to Alabama. They also traced a threatening phone call, made to the victim the day before, to a service station "with an excellent video system," and the video helped in the identification, Whiteside said.

The detective noted that he and Maj. Bruce Jordan went to Ft. McClellan and worked with military police there to locate the suspect. It was a "joint effort" that led to contact and questioning, Whiteside said, "and after questioning, Evans was placed under arrest." The suspect waived extradition and was back in Fayette County the night of the 21st, Whiteside added.