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Dad: It was 'horse play' before boy went overboard
AP/Yahoo ^ | 08/31/2011 | AP/Yahoo

Posted on 09/01/2011 6:40:01 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A man accused of throwing his 7-year-old son overboard during a sightseeing cruise around California's Newport Harbor says he and the boy were just "horse playing" and talked about jumping in the water together.

"I was not trying to kill my son. We were playing in the shallows," Sloane Briles told KTLA-TV on Tuesday. "I discussed it with him. We'd jump in together and just thought it would be funny, ha ha."

Two of 85 people who were on the Sunday afternoon tour saw things differently. In 911 tapes released Tuesday, the passengers expressed shock and disgust after seeing Briles toss the boy into the water.

"I'm on a boat tour called the Queen and there's a man who just threw his son overboard," a woman told an Orange County sheriff's dispatcher.

"This man has been bad on our whole trip and he's swimming back to our boat now," she said.

Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said Briles, 35, was on the tour with his girlfriend and two sons from a previous marriage. Amormino said they got into an argument and Briles threatened to toss the boy into the water if he didn't stop crying.

Staff members on the 42-foot boat said Briles told the boy he needed to toughen up then threw him into the water five feet below, said Charlie Maas, who oversees the tour company.

Someone on the boat threw the boy a life ring, and he was safely rescued, uninjured, by another boater. The father also jumped in to save him before swimming back to the tour boat.

Another 911 caller said she thought Briles was "drunk and violent."

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: overboard
Another article I saw indicated it was more than just 2 of 85 people. The whole boat saw him toss the boy overboard.
1 posted on 09/01/2011 6:40:02 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd
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To: Responsibility2nd
. . . on the tour with his girlfriend and two sons from a previous marriage

Yet another glimpse into modern "family" life.

2 posted on 09/01/2011 6:42:43 AM PDT by madprof98 ("moritur et ridet" - salvianus)
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To: Responsibility2nd
A man accused of throwing his 7-year-old son overboard during a sightseeing cruise around California's Newport Harbor says he and the boy were just "horse playing"

Let me guess which end of the horse you were playing....

3 posted on 09/01/2011 6:46:21 AM PDT by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all -- Texas Eagle)
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To: Responsibility2nd

Even IF this were true (doubtful), it doesn’t excuse the father’s behavior in the least — it was imbecilic and dangerous. He’s damn lucky the kid wasn’t seriously hurt, or worse.


4 posted on 09/01/2011 6:53:48 AM PDT by twyn1
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To: Responsibility2nd
Briles, 35, was on the tour with his girlfriend and two sons from a previous marriage

Something tells me there is a hearing in his near future to alter his custody/visitation arrangements.

5 posted on 09/01/2011 6:57:14 AM PDT by wideawake
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To: Responsibility2nd

The networks were actually interviewing this horse’s a** yesterday. Wife at his side, of course. Their poor kid doesn’t stand a chance.


6 posted on 09/01/2011 6:58:06 AM PDT by BfloGuy (In old fashioned language, Keynes proposed cheating the workers.)
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To: twyn1
The worst part is not only that he did this to his own son but that he is likely very busy emotionally intimidating the boy he abused into lying for him to the police, his mother and the attorneys.

Vampire.

7 posted on 09/01/2011 7:02:46 AM PDT by wideawake
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To: BfloGuy

That wasn’t his wife at his side, it was the girlfriend. Kinda hot but, creepy.


8 posted on 09/01/2011 7:51:23 AM PDT by freedomson (Tagline comment removed by moderator)
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To: Responsibility2nd

I heard on KFI radio the son was angry with his father over the father’s drinking during the cruise. The father’s girlfriend says his sons are his whole life. He was found guilty of contempt for not paying child support. He also has a criminal history with alcohol.

The AA Big Book talks of alcoholism touching the “warped lives of blameless children”.


9 posted on 09/01/2011 8:10:51 AM PDT by socal_parrot (I hate to say I told you so, but...)
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To: Responsibility2nd

I have a completely different outlook on this. I think it was dumb, but that’s it. 50 years ago the local sheriff would have told the dad, “Pull a stunt like that again and I’ll knock you on yer ass.” Today, the guy is charged with attempted murder of his son. I watched the interview too. I think it was a dumb move and the guy admitted it was dumb and also said he made no excuse for his actions. But CMON! The reactions speak to the effeminization of America. When the million man Chinese army comes, how many real American men will be left to stop them.


10 posted on 09/01/2011 9:18:24 AM PDT by douginthearmy
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To: douginthearmy

How can anyone stop the Million Man Chinese army? They’ll simply come unarmed and the Fed will refuse to deport them. Game Set Match.


11 posted on 09/01/2011 9:22:05 AM PDT by The Toll
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To: The Toll

Touche!


12 posted on 09/01/2011 9:48:39 AM PDT by douginthearmy
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