TONTO NATIONAL FOREST, Ariz. — An Arizona man reached a plea deal with federal officials after living illegally in the Tonto National Forest for eight years and accumulating approximately a half-ton of trash at a campsite.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, Mark Aaron Gatz, 65, was arrested by officers on June 25, KTVK reported. He was booked into the Coconino County Jail in Flagstaff.
According to NBC News, Gatz pleaded guilty on Monday to violating fire restrictions and unlawful residential use of a federal forest as part of a plea agreement.
On Tuesday, Gatz was sentenced to three months of probation and was ordered to pay $20 in restitution, the news outlet reported, citing federal court records.
In an 18-count federal indictment, Gatz was charged with building illegal fires, overstaying time limits for camping -- there is a 14-day limit -- and leaving trash in unsanitary conditions, NBC News reported.
“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 order.
The plea deal allowed Gatz to avoid a $5,000 fine. As another condition, Gatz promised not to visit national forests in Arizona and not to use cannabis, NBC News reported.
During the years he was living in the forest, Gatz camped at the Strawberry-Pine site, KTVK reported. He accumulated nearly 1,000 pounds of trash, authorities said in court documents.
One U.S. Forest Service officer described it as one of the “worst residential cases” ever seen.
Forest Service officials received a complaint last year about “one large messy camp.”
During an investigation, a Forest Service officer said he saw trash, along with clothing, pans, plastic cups, tools, KTVK reported. There was also a 4-foot wooden structure to house the tools. The officer issued Gatz a warning and told him to clean up the site and leave the forest.
Court documents noted that the campsite also had an SUV with tarps over it, a trailer, ladders, bicycle frames, gallons of motor oil, lumber, and a 3-foot-tall fireplace constructed from rocks and clay, with frying pans, according to KTVK.
A second U.S. Forest Service officer stated in documents that he was “flabbergasted” by the amount of debris in the area, according to the television station.
By the time Gatz was arrested, he had accumulated more than trash, NBC News reported. He had amassed six federal warrants.