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A Canadian tourist accused of stealing and harming a flamingo at a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip has been ordered to stay in the area while his legal case progresses, a judge ruled on Monday.
Mitchell Fairbarn, a 33-year-old from Ontario, Canada, is charged with four counts of felony animal cruelty after allegedly injuring a flamingo at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on March 3.
During his initial court appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court, Fairbarn’s attorney represented him. Judge Harmony Letizia emphasized the expectation for Fairbarn to be present in her courtroom in the future.
Law enforcement officers examined surveillance videos, which reportedly captured Fairbarn entering the bird exhibit and seizing a flamingo named “Peachy,” according to court documents. The footage also allegedly shows him mistreating other birds, including restraining one and preventing its escape, before taking one back to a hotel room, as per police accounts.
In discussions with police, Fairbarn reportedly confessed to entering the bird area, claiming he was trying to help a flamingo he perceived to be in distress. He stated he attempted to adjust the bird’s wing back into position.
On Fairbarn’s phone, police located “several photos and videos” of him with the animal, including him torturing it, police said. In one video, Fairbarn indicated he was taking the bird home.
The Las Vegas Justice Court redacted Fairbarn’s face in the photos and stills from the videos when fulfilling a public records request.
Animal control advised Fairbarn injured the bird when he allegedly “pulled the wing out of the bird’s body,” police said. Several other birds were also injured.
During a probable cause hearing after his arrest, Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Suzan Baucum set bail at $12,000, ordering Fairbarn to have no animals in his possession and to surrender his passport. She also ordered him to wear a GPS monitor.
On Monday, Letizia warned Fairbarn’s attorney that she would send him to jail should he violate any terms of his release.
“If he has a single violation while he’s out on bail and electronic monitoring that was set by the judge in initial appearance court, he is going to be remanded without bail in this case,” she warned.
Fairbarn was scheduled to return to court on May 6.
An attorney listed for him did not return a request for comment.