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Accused 'Noah's Ark' animal hoarder released

A woman accused the worst case of animal hoarding Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies say they've ever seen was released on Thursday night.
Andrea Mikkel gets emotional before she meets with a judge regarding her animal abuse charges. Feb. 19, 2015.

A woman accused the worst case of animal hoarding Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies say they've ever seen was released on Thursday night.

The judge said Andrea Mikkel, 61, as not a flight risk.

She was told not to be in contact with animals.

MORE: Zebras owner: Accused animal hoard 'not a monster'

Deputies arrested Mikkel at her home in north Phoenix Friday morning.

A sheriff's spokesman said they plan to charge her with 80 counts of animal cruelty. Specifically, those charges involve failure to provide adequate shelter for the animals.

Deputies said Mikkel is a hoarder and her home was unfit for herself or the animals to live in.

The investigation began in January when deputies served a search warrant on the home and seized about half of the 100 animals that Mikkel lived with, including birds, dogs, cats, llamas, pigs and horses.

MORE: Animals, not arrest, priority in Phoenix hoarding case

Mikkel was taken in for questioning but was rushed to the hospital when deputies said she swallowed the pop-tab from a soft-drink can. The sheriff's office called it a suicide attempt.

Mikkel was released from the hospital and sheriff's deputies said they did not know where she went.

A department spokesman said investigators were waiting for tests and medical screenings before proceeding with the arrest. Those tests came back this week, leading deputies to stake out her home.

When Mikkel returned to the home to take care of the remaining animals, deputies arrested her, a department spokesman said.

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