A Las Vegas jury found Mitchell Fairbarn, 34, guilty Monday on two counts of animal cruelty for stealing and injuring a flamingo named Peachy from a Strip hotel back in March. The jury of eight women and six men deliberated for several hours. Prosecutors built their case around surveillance video, photos, and Snapchat clips showing Fairbarn laughing and grabbing the bird by the neck with two friends, along with footage of Peachy alone in a hallway near the elevators.
Fairbarn took the stand and testified that he took the flamingo as a drunken, as he put it, “silly pranky joke” after drinking 30 to 40 beers. He denied intending to hurt or kill the bird, but the jury didn’t see it that way. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on December 1.
For those of us here on the Suncoast, the story lands close to home in a way. We share our beaches and waterways with pelicans, herons, and sea turtles, and we know wildlife isn’t a prop. What do you think an appropriate sentence looks like in a case like this? Share your take on our Facebook page.
