Arizona man caught living illegally in forest for years amid massive trash pile

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleA stretch of Arizona's Tonto National Forest, where Mark Aaron Gatz had been living for some eight years, according to court filings (Jeff Topping/Getty Images)An Arizona man, Mark Aaron Gatz, 65, faces up to five years in prison for illegally residing in the Tonto National Forest for nearly a decade. Authorities discovered approximately 1,000 pounds of trash, including tires, plastic bags and household goods, strewn across roughly an acre of the forest. A U.S. Forest Service officer described Gatz's campsite as 'possibly one of the worst residential cases he has seen' due to the extensive debris and environmental damage. Gatz, who had multiple outstanding federal arrest warrants for previous violations, was arrested on June 25 and ordered detained as a potential flight risk. His case highlights the challenges faced by forest officials balancing public access and resource conservation, with federal law limiting campers to 14-day stays. In fullSuspect caught living for 8 years among a half-ton of trash in Arizona national forest, feds sayMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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