A month’s long investigation has lead detectives with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Animal Crimes Unit to arrest Andrea Mikkel and book her into the Sheriff’s 4th Avenue Jail on eighty counts of animal cruelty.
Sheriff’s detectives served a search warrant on Mikkel’s home in January, after receiving tips that animals were being abused on her property.
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Animal Crimes detectives, in the course of executing the search warrant, found the house in deplorable condition, with animal feces covering virtually every inch of the inside, with some piles stacked as high as one foot. Additionally, spider webs covered most of the walls and entryways. Animal cages holding pigeons, quail, roosters, & rabbits were scattered throughout the home.
“My Animal Crimes Unit has recently conducted investigations into several large animal cruelty cases, “said Sheriff Joe Arpaio. “This has required long hours and a large amount of resources, which has resulted in numerous arrests and the seizure of hundreds of animals who had been abused.”
Detectives discovered that many animals kept indoors had open sores or medical issues that had not been addressed. Finally, neither food nor water had been provided.
Sheriff’s detectives immediately seized every animal found inside the home and transported them to a veterinarian for medical treatment.
Outside of Mikkel’s home the larger animals, dogs, horses, zebras, lamas, alpacas, turkeys, goats, pigs, steers, and sheep were housed in the yard, also without food or clean water, and most with medical issues.
Veterinarians with the Sheriff’s Office determined that fifty-seven animals needed to be seized and receive medical attention. All of these animals, as they recover, are being transferred to Sheriff Arpaio’s Jail for abused animals.
During an interview with Sheriff’s detectives, the 62-year-old Mikkel admitted she had a problem. However, when given the opportunity, she refused to place the animals in better homes or with a wildlife sanctuary.
Since serving the search warrant Sheriff’s detectives have been visiting her property on a regular basis to ensure the remaining animals were being cared for. As of this press release, Sheriff’s detectives are currently on the scene, waiting for a search warrant allowing them to seize the animals still on the property.
At the time of the initial search warrant, two zebras, as well as other animals, were left on Mikkel’s property as there was no immediate reason to seize them. The zebras, which can be very violent, posed a challenge for Sheriff’s detectives, who were unable to get close to the zebras to check them out. The decision was made to seek out an expert who could properly evaluate the zebras’ living and medical conditions. During this time, Mikkel, who had not been arrested, continued to care for her remaining animals. She also started secretly sending some away, including the zebras, which were dispatched to friends.
The zebras are presently in the care of an individual in Cave Creek, who is both a friend of Mikkel and a supporter of Sheriff Arpaio’s and his stance on animal abuse. This individual has been cooperating with the Sheriff’s Office, and Sheriff’s detectives along with an Arizona Game and Fish expert on zebras was finally able to examine the striped pair.