A man accused of stealing and mistreating a flamingo named Peachy on the Strip pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
Mitchell Fairbarn faces four counts of animal cruelty after police accused him of illegally entering the flamingo habitat at the iconic Flamingo resort this year, taking a bird back to his room and torturing it.
Police said the Canadian man’s cellphone contained photos and videos of him torturing a flamingo in his hotel room by choking it and throwing it to the floor while laughing. In one video, he choked a flamingo’s neck as the bird screamed and cried, records indicated.
“Fairbarn is seen laughing in the video and says ‘I’m taking it home’ as he walks back to his room,” police said in his arrest report.
He also clipped the wing of a bird he was chasing and trying to pin down in the habitat, causing the bird to suffer pain and require stitches, according to the report.
Fairbarn told District Judge Tara Clark Newberry on Tuesday that he had a college education and was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
His trial is scheduled to start Oct. 12.
Defense attorney Josh Tomsheck previously told the judge that he had met with prosecutors about a negotiation to resolve the case. He declined to explain Tuesday why Fairbarn instead pleaded not guilty.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com.
