Authorities early Thursday morning jailed a Cartersville man accused of trying to start a fire by placing a T-shirt in his friend's gas tank and lighting it up.

Due to the proximity of the fire to a home and a natural gas meter, Dustin Alan Martin, 22, of Cassville Road in Cartersville, was arrested and charged with first-degree arson, according to the Bartow County Sheriff's Office incident report.

Martin and his friend, 22, told deputies they were involved in an earlier verbal argument at Legends Tavern, but their statements differ on what happened at the Kimsey Circle, Cartersville, home between 12 and 1 a.m. 

The alleged victim said he stepped outside to smoke a cigarette, and found a T-shirt hanging out of the gas fill tube of his red 2002 Dodge Ram pick up and Martin at the end of the driveway yelling and cursing about burning the truck.

Police later found Martin at his home, asleep on his bed with a rifle across his bare chest. He denied he was at his "former" friend's home.

Authorities say they spotted hanging from Martin's back pocket a torn piece of T-shirt, the same color and material as the one used in the alleged arson.

After his arrest, authorities also seized a lighter they found in Martin's pocket.

The truck, which deputies reported had burn marks and paint damage under the gas cap, was parked near a carport, 5 to 10 feet from a gas meter.