Mitchell Fairbarn convicted in Las Vegas flamingo case

A jury convicted Mitchell Fairbarn of felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty on October 19 for taking Peachy, a flamingo, from its habitat at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 1. The case arose from an incident on March 3, when Fairbarn removed the 27-year-old Chilean flamingo from its enclosure and carried it through the hotel to his room. Video shown at trial depicted him holding Peachy in an elevator and carrying the bird along a hallway. Prosecutors argued that Fairbarn willfully caused Peachy physical pain, citing the bird’s injuries and footage of him handling it. When Peachy was found, the bird was missing seven to eight feathers, had blood on its feathers and had wing injuries, according to testimony described during the trial. Fairbarn testified that he had consumed between 30 and 40 beers and took Peachy as a drunken joke. He denied intending to hurt the bird. His attorney, Josh Tomsheck, acknowledged that Fairbarn should not have entered the habitat or taken Peachy, but argued that the act was foolish rather than malicious. The jury returned guilty verdicts on both the felony and misdemeanor counts. The question...