Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a Fountain Hills woman at her home on Sage Drive Tuesday, Aug. 5.

Sheriff’s deputies were called out to the 15000 block of East Sage Drive by two anonymous tips regarding possible animal hoarding there.

The home owner was identified by MCSO as Sharon Anne Weber.

According to the Sheriff’s animal crimes unit, Weber is a cat rescue volunteer who recently had at least 50 cats inside her residence.

Deputies had warned her on two previous occasions to reduce the number of cats in her home. When they went to check on the home yesterday, they found Weber and asked permission to see the condition of her cats.

Animal crimes deputy Dave Evans who has responded to numerous homicides and meth labs in his 15-year law enforcement career says what he saw and smelled there yesterday was unlike anything he has ever seen.

“The stench from the cat urine and feces was so unbearable, we considered called a hazmat team to clear the area,” Evans said. “It was far worse than any homicide scene I’ve investigated. When we walked through the house, we were walking through literally two feet of feces.”

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Weber was booked on 18 counts of animal cruelty.