Canadian man convicted of flamingo theft and animal cruelty in Las Vegas
A jury found Mitchell Fairbarn guilty on misdemeanor and felony animal-cruelty charges for taking a flamingo from a Las Vegas hotel, with sentencing set for Dec. 1.
A Nevada jury convicted 34-year-old Canadian Mitchell Fairbarn of animal-cruelty offenses after he took a flamingo from a Las Vegas hotel. The verdict, delivered at the Regional Justice Center, covered both misdemeanor and felony counts.
Prosecutors presented surveillance footage, photographs and Snapchat clips that showed Fairbarn and two friends handling the bird, identified as Peachy, and later leaving it unattended in a hallway.
During the trial, Fairbarn testified that he removed the flamingo as a drunken joke after consuming a large quantity of beer, denying any intent to harm the animal.
The jury, composed of eight women and six men, deliberated for several hours before reaching a guilty verdict. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1, and animal-rights groups said they welcomed the jury’s decision.