Arizona man pleads guilty to living illegally in national forest

According to court documents filed by a U.S. Forest Service officer, Gatz had been operating an illegal campsite with a hot wood-burning campfire despite fire restrictions. He told investigators he had been living in the forest for about eight years. The officer noted that Gatz had previously received multiple citations and had six outstanding federal arrest warrants for violations including fires during restrictions, constructing on national forest land, unsanitary conditions, and occupying national forest land as a residence.

Gatz stated that he knew about the fire restrictions but "had to have fire to eat." USFS officers had made contact with him multiple times over the past year, issuing warnings and a violation notice for campfires during restricted periods. Previous reports from earlier this year detailed officers observing trash scattered throughout the campsite, including clothing, pans, tools, and plastic cups, along with a four-foot-high structure made of wood panels. During a May encounter, officers reported seeing about 1,000 pounds of trash, including tires, plastic bags, aluminum cans, and other items, and noted that a campfire had been left unattended and still hot.

In a February report, an officer described the camp as having a large amount of debris, including three ladders, overfilled totes, 55-gallon drums, eight tires, bicycle frames, motor oil, and plywood, scattered over approximately half an acre and creating public safety concerns. A July 2025 report also noted a "large messy campsite" due to complaints, with roughly half an acre of resources ruined by trash and goods on the ground for an extended period.

Following his guilty plea this week, Gatz was sentenced to time served and three years of probation.