PHOENIX -- A Prescott man has been sentenced to time in federal prison for living on national Forest Service land near Payson.
Mark M. Reno, 57, was sentenced on July 9, to six months in federal prison, according to Sandra Raynor, public affairs officer with the United States Attorney's Office.
When he is released, Reno will be placed on 24 months of supervised probation. During the period of supervised release, up to six months is required to be in residence at a halfway house.
Raynor said Reno is not authorized to enter or remain on national Forest Service land without prior federal agency authorization and was ordered to serve 100 hours of community service.
On June 8, Reno was found living on the Tonto National Forest, in an area north of Payson near State Route 87. Reno's personal items, garbage and other debris were found at the camp site.
Reno had been living at the camp site since January, shortly after he was placed on three years of federal probation for the same offense.
Under the terms of his previous probation, Reno was required to remove his personal items and clean up the garbage and other debris from his old campsite, which he did not do.
Reno pleaded guilty to residing on national Forest Service land without prior authorization and to violating the conditions of his previous probation.
