Dad Accused of Tossing Son Overboard Might Be Tried in Veterans Court

An Irvine dad charged with throwing his 7-year-old son off a sightseeing boat in Newport Harbor might have his case moved to a court dedicated to combat veterans, a prosecutor said Monday.

Over the summer, Sloan Steven Briles, 35, was charged with one felony count of child abuse and endangerment and one misdemeanor count of resisting a police officer after the incident. In September, Briles and was scheduled to reaffirm his plea Monday. 

But the proceedings were postponed after the defense recommended moving the case to Veterans Court, said Deputy District Attorney Cyril Yu.

Veterans Court is designed for military personnel and has a unique way of handling cases and defendants dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, Yu said.

"To qualify, a person has to be or have been an active combat veteran," said Yu said. "Typically, as part of the program, a person would plead to a felony charge. There may or may not be jail time, and they keep coming back to court for progress and to make sure they are doing what needs to be done."

Briles is now set to appear in Veterans Court in Santa Ana on Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. At that time, a judge will decide if that is the appropriate venue for the case, Yu said.

The charges against Briles stem from an incident that occurred about 1 p.m. on Aug. 28. Police said Briles was on a Newport Beach harbor cruise with his girlfriend and two young sons. He is accused of being drunk and poking his 7-year-old son in the chest and slapping him in the face. 

Prosecutors said Briles then threw the boy over the side of the boat. The first mate stalled the boat and maneuvered it to protect the child from being struck by another vessel and the captain threw the boy a life ring.

Briles has professed his innocence, saying he and the boy were merely roughhousing.