Case moved for man accused of tossing kid off boat

The case against an Irvine man accused of throwing his son off a boat during a cruise around Newport Harbor will be moved to a courtroom that works with military veterans suffering from conditions related to combat, prosecutors said Monday.

Sloan Steven Briles, 35, is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 6 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, where courtroom staff will evaluate his eligibility for its veteran’s program geared toward combat veterans who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism or drug addiction or other long-term issues.

Briles is charged with felony child endangerment and misdemeanor resisting police. He faces up to six years in prison.

According to police, on Aug. 28, Briles, his 7-year-old son, his second son and his girlfriend were on a cruise through the harbor when he threw the boy off the boat after the boy started crying. Briles was poking his son in the chest and slapping him before throwing him off the boat, prosecutors allege.

Courtroom staff will evaluate if he’s suitable for the program, which Briles may be put into in either in lieu of, or in conjunction with, a jail sentence, said Deputy District Attorney Cyril Yu.

— Joseph Serna

Twitter: @JosephSerna