An Arizona man accused of illegally living for years in the Tonto National Forest while amassing about "1,000 pounds of trash" around his campsite 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 June 25 at his makeshift campsite in the Tonto National Forest in central Arizona, court records show. Under an amended judgment filed Wednesday, Gatz was sentenced to time served and placed on three years of probation.
Gatz pleaded guilty Monday as part of an agreement that resolved a string of federal citations stemming from repeated encounters with U.S. Forest Service officers in the Payson Pine area of the forest. Officers reported that a records search showed Gatz had six outstanding federal warrants related to earlier alleged violations, including maintaining campfires during fire restrictions and constructing structures on National Forest System land.
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Court records show Gatz was arrested after officers found him at a campsite near National Forest System Road 1006 with an active campfire despite fire restrictions that prohibited campfires in the area. In the plea agreement, Gatz admitted he started the fire and knew restrictions were in place.
"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," U.S. Magistrate Judge Camille D. Bibles wrote in a June 30 detention order.
Federal regulations generally prohibit visitors from camping in national forests for more than 14 days during any 30 days. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the limits are intended to protect natural resources from long-term effects associated with extended camping and to ensure public lands remain available for all visitors.
'Flabbergasted by the amount of debris'
The case grew out of a series of encounters between Forest Service officers and Gatz beginning at least in 2025, according to probable-cause statements attached to the criminal complaint.
Gatz told officers he lived at the campsite along National Forest System Road 1006 for about two years and spent about eight years living in the Payson Pine area, the complaint states. Officers documented extensive debris and structures at the site during several encounters.
An officer wrote in a probable-cause statement that during an encounter in 2025, he observed "trash such as clothing, pans, tools and plastic cups scattered throughout the campsite" along with a structure about 4 feet tall made of wood panels that was used to store property.
The officer said Gatz received warnings for exceeding camping stay limits, maintaining a residence on National Forest System land without authorization and leaving trash in what officers described as an exposed or unsanitary condition.
When officers returned to the area, the officer wrote that Gatz "had not torn down the structure and still had trash in the area." The officer said Gatz remained in violation of forest camping restrictions and was cited.
In a probable-cause statement in February, an officer reported he was "flabbergasted by the amount of debris in the area." He observed numerous items at the campsite, including three ladders, six to eight totes “overfilled with debris,” five 55-gallon drums, eight tires, four bicycle frames, five gallons of motor oil, plywood and other “miscellaneous lumber."
Another officer visited the campsite in May and reported seeing about “1,000 pounds of trash" at the site, which included tires, plastic bags, trash bags, aluminum cans and other items, according to a probable-cause statement. The officer wrote that he also observed that a campfire Gatz left unattended the previous day was still hot.
