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A Canadian tourist facing allegations of theft and mistreatment of a flamingo at a Las Vegas Strip hotel must remain in the vicinity as legal proceedings continue, a judge ruled on Monday.
Mitchell Fairbarn, 33, hailing from Ontario, Canada, is charged with four counts of felony animal abuse in connection with an incident involving a flamingo at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on March 3.
During his initial hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court on Monday, Fairbarn was represented by his attorney. Judge Harmony Letizia emphasized the expectation that Fairbarn should be present in her courtroom for future appearances.
According to police documents, surveillance footage allegedly captured Fairbarn entering the bird habitat and seizing a flamingo named “Peachy.” The footage reportedly shows Fairbarn causing harm to other animals as well, including pinning down a second bird to prevent its escape, before taking an animal back to a hotel room.
Fairbarn reportedly confessed to officers that he trespassed into the habitat after noticing a flamingo in distress, claiming he attempted to adjust the bird’s wing back into place.
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.