Man pleads not guilty to tossing son overboard

An Irvine man accused of throwing his 7-year-old son overboard during a harbor cruise in Newport Beach pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of felony child abuse and endangerment.

Sloan Steven Briles, 35, also pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer, the Daily Pilot reported.

If convicted on all charges, Briles faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison. Briles is out on $100,000 bail and is scheduled to be back in court Oct. 4 for a preliminary hearing.

Briles was allegedly drinking during an Aug. 28 cruise around the harbor when he began poking his 7-year-old son in the chest and slapping him in the face, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

The 7-year-old began to cry and asked his father to stop because it was hurting him, according to the district attorney's office.

Briles is accused of picking up his son and throwing him 10 feet over the side of the boat.