'Bachelor' Alum Chris Soules' Sentencing Delayed for Fatal Car Crash
Chris Soules' sentencing has been delayed for his involvement in a car crash in Aurora, Iowa, in April 2017 that left one man dead.
The 37-year-old former reality star made an appearance at the Buchanan County Courthouse in Iowa on Tuesday, but didn't address the court. After Soules' attorney and the prosecution attorney argued for the need of a new pre-sentence investigation because the judge ruled at the hearing that previous victim impact statements should not be considered in his sentencing, the judge agreed to delay Soules' sentencing. A new date for sentencing has not been set.
Soules was arrested on April 24, 2017, after police alleged that he fled the scene of the car collision before officers arrived. The Iowa State Patrol crash report claims that he was driving a Chevy pickup truck when he rear-ended a John Deere tractor-trailer. The person driving the tractor-trailer, later identified as 66-year-old farmer Kenneth Mosher, was taken in an ambulance to the hospital, where he died.
Soules' rep released a statement to ET following his release from jail, noting that the reality star was "devastated" following the fatal crash.
"Chris Soules was involved in an accident on Monday evening, April 24, in a rural part of Iowa near his home," the statement read. "He was devastated to learn that Kenneth Mosher, the other person in the accident, passed away. His thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Mosher's family."
Soules was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident, which he pleaded not guilty to in May 2017. In September 2017, he filed a motion to dismiss all charges in his felony hit and run case. In court documents obtained by ET, one of his lawyers, Gina Messamer, argued that while Soules was required to return to the scene of the crash by law, he did all he could before leaving the scene.
"Mr. Soules fully satisfied the purposes of the statute by calling 911, giving his name to dispatch, administering CPR to Mr. Mosher, and staying on the scene until emergency responders arrived," Messamer said in the motion. "Though Mr. Soules was shaken after the accident, he did everything in his power to resuscitate Mr. Mosher. Mr. Soules interacted with several other responders whom he recognized from his small community and at no point did he attempt to obfuscate his identity."
However, last January, a judge denied Soules' motion to dismiss the case against him. Soules ended up striking a plea deal last November and filed a written guilty plea to a reduced charge of Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Serious Injury -- an aggravated misdemeanor.
Since the fatal accident, Soules -- who starred on season 19 of The Bachelor and was also a fan favorite when he competed for Andi Dorfman on season 10 of The Bachelorette -- has laid low and spent time working on his farm in Iowa. His last Instagram post was a selfie in April.
"This isn't Coachella but I love it," he wrote. "Spring cleaning. #getitdone #plant19 @soulesfamilyfarms."
This isn’t Coachella but I love it. Spring cleaning. #getitdone #plant19 @soulesfamilyfarms
A post shared by Chris Soules (@souleschris) on Apr 15, 2019 at 6:46pm PDT
ET spoke to fellow Bachelor star Nick Viall in May 2017 at the annual Race to Erase MS Gala, and he spoke out about the tragic incident involving Soules. Watch the video below for more:
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