Man who lived illegally for years in Arizona national forest pleads guilty for illegal campsite, fire

A man who lived illegally in a national forest in Arizona for years, accumulating huge piles of trash, pleaded guilty Monday to two federal charges, according to court records.

Mark Aaron Gatz was sentenced to time served and placed on probation for three years after pleading guilty to violating a fire restriction and unlawful residential use of a national forest.

Any fines associated with his citations were waived after the court determined he did not have the ability to pay them.

National Forest Service officers arrested Gatz at his illegal Tonto National Forest campsite on June 25 after finding him there along with an active campfire that violated fire restrictions.

The officers took him into custody after learning he had six outstanding warrants for previous fire and land use violations.

According to the probable cause statement for his arrest, he said he’d been staying at the site in the Payson Ranger District for two years and lived in the Payson-Pine area of the forest for eight years.

An active Tonto National Forest order limits camping to a maximum of 14 days within a 30-day period.

Man who lived in national forest had multiple run-ins with law enforcement

Gatz had multiple run-ins with Forest Service officers in different parts of the forest over the last year.

Court documents from a May 7 encounter describe approximately 1,000 pounds of trash strewn around the area of the same campsite where he was later arrested.

In a document for a Feb. 22 incident, an officer wrote that he was “flabbergasted” by the amount of debris scattered along a half-acre of forest land.

Related

Arizona land managers tighten restrictions as wildfires strain crews statewideGlendale firefighters deliver endangered birthday cakes after grocery store blaze‘T-bone type’ crash in Scottsdale leaves 1 dead, 1 in critical condition, police sayArizona Humane Society sends out urgent plea ahead of free adoption eventThe 233 Suites hotel celebrates debut in downtown MesaMan left in critical condition after 3-car collision in north Phoenix