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You may remember Sloan Steven Briles, our number one Father of the Year, who allegednly tossed his son overboard during a Newport Harbor cruise and then insisted he had done nothing wrong. Well, apparently he's holding fast to that sentiment -- L.A. Now reports that Briles, 35, plead not guilty today to charges of felony child endangerment and abuse and one misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer.
According to witness reports, Briles was drunk when he began taunting his 7-year-old son on the late-August cruise. He reportedly slapped and poked the child, and when the boy began to cry, Briles allegedly picked him up and threw him overboard.
Witnesses say that Briles had been drinking and fighting with his girlfriend before the incident with his son, a story that's corroborated by the boy and his brother.
Briles dove into the water after his son, but not before another boat had to swerve to avoid the child and a second boat tossed the boy a life preserver. Some accounts claim that once in the water, Briles actually did nothing to help his kid.
Witnesses to the incident immediately called authorities, who Briles allegedly resisted once they showed up and tried to arrest him.
In an interview following the incident, Briles, who insists that he and his son were just horsing around, had this to say: “It didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary...We were up to the key, and him and I were screwing around, and we just jumped out."
If convicted, Briles could face up to six years in state prison.
