A man pleaded guilty to illegally living in Tonto National Forest in Arizona, having spent eight years at unauthorized campsites and piled up heaps of trash in the nature preserve.
Mark Aaron Gatz, 65, pleaded guilty to a violation of fire restrictions and residential use of the forest without a permit. He was sentenced to time served and three years of probation.
The court ordered Mr. Gatz to avoid visiting any U.S. national forests located in Arizona.
Mr. Gatz was arrested on June 25 inside the national forest 38 miles northeast of Phoenix. He told U.S. Forest Service rangers that he had lived at his campsite, where he had built structures, for two years, and had lived inside Tonto National Forest for eight years, according to court documents.
At the time of his arrest, there were at least six warrants out for his arrest on charges relating to his campsite.
A U.S. Forest Service ranger reported that there was 1,000 pounds of trash at Mr. Gatz’s campsite in May, while another said in July 2025 that roughly half an acre of the forest had been ruined due to the amount of trash and the amount of time the trash had been in the area, according to court documents.
The fines that normally would have been levied against Mr. Gatz were waived after the court found he would be unable to pay them, according to KTAR-FM.
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