It started as a work trip to Las Vegas in March. So how did a man end up shirtless in a hotel carrying a flamingo by the neck? One possible reason was the 30 to 40 beers he drank.
The man, Mitchell G. Fairbarn of Ontario, was convicted on Monday of stealing a flamingo from its habitat at a Las Vegas hotel and taking it back to his room. A jury in Clark County, Nev., found Mr. Fairbarn guilty of one felony charge and one misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1.
The police said that Mr. Fairbarn, who was 33 when he committed the crime, went into the wildlife habitat on the grounds of the Flamingo Hotel Las Vegas, grabbed a flamingo named Peachy by its neck and legs, wrapped the bird in a shirt and jacket and took it to his room on the 14th floor, according to an arrest report.
Video reviewed by the police and cited in the initial report showed that Mr. Fairbarn grabbed one bird by the legs, took a picture with his cellphone, then waded into the water in a hunt for a second bird, grabbing one by the neck.
Mr. Fairbarn took that bird, Peachy, into the hotel, footage shows. Surveillance photos show him shirtless in a hotel elevator and in a hall with the flamingo.
The resort said that three birds in total were injured in the episode.
Mr. Fairbarn is self-employed as a civil contractor and had no prior criminal history, according to court documents.
According to the police report, Mr. Fairbarn said that he had been trying to help a bird that he saw in distress. Mr. Fairbarn “admitted to his actions being repulsive,” the report said. He told them that he thought he was being helpful by fixing a bird’s wing, but said he was drunk and did not remember chasing after the birds.
Photos and videos on Mr. Fairbarn’s phone show him laughing and saying, “I’m taking it home,” as he walked the bird back to his room, the police said.
“I thought it would be, at the time, funny,” he testified in court.
He also testified that before the jaunt with the birds he had consumed 30 to 40 beers, local news media reported. He acknowledged at trial that the video “doesn’t look good.”
Caesars, which owns the hotel, said in a statement: “We are grateful this matter was taken seriously and appreciate the work of law enforcement, prosecutors and the animal care professionals who responded. This was a deeply upsetting incident, and our focus remains on the care and well-being of the animals at the Flamingo Wildlife Habitat.”
Caesars said on Tuesday that Peachy was “doing well, and we are grateful that he continues to receive attentive care from our dedicated animal care team.”
Mr. Fairbarn said in court that after his arrest was made public he had received death threats and changed his children’s schools in Canada. He has been under house arrest in Las Vegas.
A lawyer for Mr. Fairbarn did not respond to a request for comment.
“He should not have done that, should not have gone into the habitat, shouldn’t have touched a bird, shouldn’t have taken Peachy inside,” his lawyer, Josh Tomsheck, said in court, according to The Associated Press. “The truth is, Mitch was drunk. Mitch was stupid. He made bad decisions.”
The wildlife habitat at the Flamingo Hotel includes a flock of Chilean flamingos, exotic waterfowl, brown pelicans, hummingbirds and fish, according to the hotel’s website.
Susan C. Beachy contributed research.
The post Man Who Took Flamingo From Las Vegas Hotel Is Found Guilty of Cruelty appeared first on New York Times.
