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Las Vegas jury convicts Canadian man in Peachy the flamingo case
Mitchell Fairbarn was found guilty of felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges tied to the removal and injury of a flamingo from a Las Vegas Strip resort in March. He is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 1.
A jury in Las Vegas found Mitchell Fairbarn guilty Monday of felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges stemming from the taking and injury of Peachy, a flamingo at a Strip resort, in March.
Fairbarn, a Canadian man, was in court as the verdict was read at the Regional Justice Center. The 14-person jury — eight women and six men — deliberated for several hours. Two alternates were not needed. Fairbarn is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 1.
Prosecutors said the two counts addressed separate parts of the incident: one involving what happened in the flamingo’s habitat and the other what happened at the hotel. Fairbarn had initially faced four counts, but prosecutors narrowed the case for trial to focus on Peachy.
During the trial, prosecutors presented surveillance footage, photographs and Snapchat videos that they said showed Fairbarn and two companions grabbing the bird by the neck. Other footage showed Fairbarn heading toward elevators while Peachy was left alone in a hallway.
Fairbarn testified that he took the flamingo as a drunken prank and did not intend to hurt or kill it. He said he had consumed 30 to 40 beers that day. He made no comment as he left the courthouse after the verdict.
Animal advocates praised the jury’s decision, according to comments shared after the verdict.