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LAS VEGAS (Gambling911.com) - The day has finally come for Peachy the Flamingo to get justice.
Mitchell Fairbarn, 33, faces four counts of animal cruelty in connection with the March incident involving Peachy whereby he is accused of forcibly grabbing the beloved flamingo and dragging him to his hotel room at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas where the bird happily lived in his habitat until that evening.
Fairbarn claims he was drunk at the time the flamingo was removed the early morning hours of March 3. Surveillance video captured much of the incident.
Fairbarn was said to have injured several birds in addition to Peachy. All are recovering well according to casino officials. Inside his hotel room, officers located a “large bloody feather” along with other material, police said.
One condition of Fairbarn’s March 9 bail was that he surrender her passport, meaning he has not been able to return home to Canada.
On Tuesday October 12, the jury selection process took place with 8 women and 6 men set to hear the case.
Getting a fair jury pool in a city where flamingos are beloved has already proven not to be easy.
One prospective juror was overheard saying the following:
“The piece of shit that took the flamingo.”
The remark was overheard in a courthouse hallway while Fairbarn was waiting outside the courtroom.
District Judge Jacqueline Bluth dismissed the prospective juror.
And with the jury in place, the trial is set to begin Wednesday. It is expected to last a week with some experts taking the witness stand on behalf of the defense.
Gambling911.com will have your full coverage.
- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
