Mark Aaron Gatz Gets 3 Months’ Probation Over 1,000 Pounds of Trash in Tonto Forest

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Jul 8

Three months of probation and $20 in criminal penalties were imposed on Mark Aaron Gatz after he pleaded guilty to violating fire restrictions and unlawfully using Arizona’s Tonto National Forest as a residence.
Court records said Gatz told police he had lived in the forest for about eight years, far beyond the 14-day camping limit, and had occupied the cited campsite for roughly two years.
U.S. Forest Service officers estimated about 1,000 pounds of refuse at the camp, where they also found an SUV under a canopy and an illegal stone fire structure used for cooking.
The plea deal spared Gatz potential restitution of up to $5,000, but bars him from visiting Arizona national forests and from using cannabis.
The case followed repeated warnings, prior citations and six federal warrants, underscoring authorities’ focus on long-term illegal occupancy and fire-risk violations on public land.