Chris Soules has broken his silence on the fatal car crash that took a fellow motorist’s life in Iowa on Sunday night.
The former ABC Bachelor reportedly rear-ended a tractor trailer with his pickup truck near Aurora around 8:20 p.m., causing both vehicles to fly into a ditch and the driver of the second vehicle to be killed a result.
His name was Kenneth Mosher and he was 68 years old.
Soules is then accused of illegally fleeing the scene, which is why he was placed under arrest at 1:16 a.m. on Monday.
The ex-reality star has been charged with leaving the scene of a fatal car accident that left one individual dead.
(He was not charged with driving under the influence, although sources claim Soules was in possession of alcohol at the time of the crash.)
Several hours after this sad news went public, a spokesperson for Soules submitted the following statement to People Magazine:
Chris Soules was involved in an accident Monday evening (April 24) in a rural part of Iowa near his home.
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.
Here is a look at Soules’ mugshot:
According to TMZ, Mosher was transported to a local hospital after the accident, where he was eventually pronounced dead by doctors due to injuries suffered in the crash.
Soules was also treated for injuries, but they are not believed to be serious.
It is also unclear at this time whether Soules turned himself in to the police or whether they apprehended him at home or while he was attempting to make a run for it.
Soules appeared before a judge in Buchanan County Court yesterday morning and was released on $ 10,000 bond, pending trial.
It is believed he actually knew the victim, based on an interview Radar Online conducted with an Iowa resident named Richard Roepke.
“Everyone around here is in shock,” Roepke told Radar, referring to the incident as a “huge mistake” and adding of Soules:
“He knew them, they’re neighbors… We’re feeling very sad, everyone knows Chris’ family.”
Soules came in third place on Andi Dorfman’s season of The Bachelorette.
He was then named The Bachelor for Season 19, proposing to Whitney Bischoff on an emotional finale and talking openly during his run about a troubled past that included arrests for DUI and other disorderly acts of conduct.
Following The Bachelor, Soules competed on Dancing with the Stars and on a show called Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition.
He disappeared from the spotlight about a year ago, seemingly content to live life as a farmer in Iowa.
In response to this tragedy, Bischoff also spoke People.
“This is a very sad situation,” she said, not mentioning her former fiance by name, yet concluding:
“I’m keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers, especially the victim and his family.”
Soules and Bischoff called off their engagement in May of 2015, just two months after their on-air proposal and not very long after Soules was eliminated on Dancing with the Stars.
We’ll continue to update this story with more details and further news as it breaks.
For now, we join Soules in sending our thoughts to the friends, family members and loved ones of Kenneth Mosher.