UNITED STATES – Sloane Briles (photo on right – from AP), 35, a former US Marine sergeant, is facing charges of child endangerment and resisting arrest. He was on a cruise around Newport Harbor in California with his girlfriend and 2 sons from the previous marriage. He hit his 7 year-old son, before throwing him overboard. The acts outraged the crowd on the boat.
According to The New Paper, it is alleged that Briles has hit his son several times and threatened to throw him overboard if he did not stop crying. It is noted that Briles may have been drinking prior to the incident. He was released on Monday and could not be contacted.
The boat was carrying 85 people on a busy Sunday afternoon around the harbor which is operated by the Fun Zone Boat People Company. The route goes around homes of celebrities. Mr Charlie Maas noted that the incident happened very quickly and had very little time to react. Though the child was rescued and unharmed, it would have been a fatal encounter as he could potentially be hit by a boat.
Briles eventually jumped into the water to rescue his son, but not immediately after throwing his son overboard. Both the child and his brother are now being taken care of by their mother.
His girlfriend, Ms Jennifer Burrelli said that Briles regretted his judgement in throwing his son overboard, and that he has no intention to cause harm to his child, as he loves them very much. She also said that the both of them were not arguing at the point of the incident.
Briles separated from his ex-wife in 2006, after having two children, after a 4 year marriage. They divorced in 2007. After losing his job in the mortgage industry in 2007, he found another job. However, due to the sustained injuries, he drew workers’ compensation. His ex-wife also opposed to his attempt at reducing his obliged child support, after succeeding in the first round.
His troubles did not end there. Briles also had a few brushes with the law. In February 2009, he pleaded guilty in contempt of not paying child support and sentenced to 3 years of probation and in 2011, he has also pleaded guilty to a charge of public intoxication.
It is not known what will happen to Briles and whether the boy and his brother will remain in the care of their mother.
Kids tend to misbehave themselves in public, and will you, as a parent, do something dangerous like throwing them into the water, or any other acts that will endanger their lives? How would you control your anger?