Daijiworld Media Network - Arizona
Arizona, Jul 9: An Arizona man who illegally lived for years in the Tonto National Forest while allegedly accumulating nearly 1,000 pounds of trash around his campsite has pleaded guilty to violating federal fire restrictions and unlawfully using national forest land as a residence.
According to court records, Mark Aaron Gatz was arrested on June 25 at his makeshift campsite in the Tonto National Forest in central Arizona. Under an amended judgment filed on July 8, he was sentenced to time already served and placed on three years' probation.
Gatz entered his guilty plea on July 6 as part of an agreement resolving multiple federal citations arising from repeated encounters with US Forest Service officers in the Payson Pine area.
Investigators said a records check revealed Gatz had six outstanding federal warrants related to previous alleged violations, including maintaining campfires during fire restrictions and constructing unauthorised structures on National Forest System land.
Court documents state that officers arrested Gatz after finding him at a campsite near National Forest System Road 1006 with an active campfire despite restrictions prohibiting open fires in the area. In his plea agreement, Gatz admitted he had started the fire and was aware that fire restrictions were in force.
"Defendant has been living illegally on the U.S.F.S. lands and has violated fire restrictions despite prior warnings and citations for doing so," US Magistrate Judge Camille D. Bibles noted in a detention order issued on June 30.
Under US Department of Agriculture regulations, visitors are generally prohibited from camping in national forests for more than 14 days within any 30-day period. The rules are intended to protect natural resources and ensure public lands remain accessible to all visitors.
The case stemmed from a series of encounters between Forest Service officers and Gatz beginning in early 2025.
According to the complaint, Gatz told officers he had lived at the campsite near National Forest System Road 1006 for about two years and had spent nearly eight years residing in the Payson Pine area.
During inspections, officers documented extensive debris and unauthorised structures at the campsite. One officer reported finding clothing, cooking utensils, tools and plastic cups scattered throughout the area, along with a wooden structure about four feet high that was being used for storage.
Despite repeated warnings for exceeding camping limits, maintaining an unauthorised residence and leaving waste in unsanitary conditions, officers said Gatz failed to remove the structure or clean the site.
In February, another officer described being "flabbergasted" by the amount of debris, reporting the presence of multiple ladders, several storage containers overflowing with rubbish, five 55-gallon drums, eight tyres, bicycle frames, motor oil, plywood and other discarded materials.
During a subsequent inspection in May, officers estimated that approximately 1,000 pounds of trash had accumulated at the campsite, including tyres, plastic bags, refuse sacks, aluminium cans and other waste.
Officials also reported finding a campfire that had been left unattended by Gatz the previous day and was still hot when officers returned to the site.