Relative Of Victim Killed In Crash Defends Chris Soules From ‘The Bachelor’, Says It Was A Freak Accident

Former Bachelor star Chris Soules was arrested on Tuesday after a fatal traffic incident resulting in the death of 66-year-old Kenneth Mosher of Aurora. The accident occurred 15 miles south of Arlington, Iowa whereas a pickup truck and tractor seemingly collided.

According to People, both the pickup truck and tractor were heading south, and officers claim that the Chevy truck driven by Chris Soules collided into the rear of the John Deere tractor driven by Mosher. The collision sent both vehicles into the ditches on the road’s sides.

There are claims that indicate that Chris Soules slammed into the tractor and then fled the scene. It is unclear if Soules as able to leave the scene on foot or if he was helped by another driver, regardless, he left his truck on the site. Unfortunately, Kenneth Mosher passed away after being rushed to the Mercy Hospital in Oelwein.

Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office reports that Soules was placed in temporary custody and was charged for allegedly leaving the scene of a fatal incident where one individual died. Moreover, the former Bachelor was not charged with driving under the influence despite being in possession of alcoholic beverages and containers.

Meanwhile, a video in possession of the court features Soules being rather unwilling to cooperate with authorities. The latter forced police officers to procure a warrant to ensure his cooperation with the investigation of the fatal car incident.

Chris Soules was released hours after being arrested, and the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that the former Bachelor was released after his mother, Linda, posted his $10,000 bond for bail. A spokesperson if Chris’ sent People a statement, sharing his heartfelt condolences regarding the terrible incident.

The statement read, “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.”

Despite being released from jail, Chris Soules is still required to surrender his passport and to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet until his trial. Apparently, the reality star is to return to court for a preliminary hearing on May 2 in light of his charges with leaving the scene of a fatal car accident that left one individual dead.

As for the family and relatives of the victim Kenneth Mosher, one of them have stepped up for Chris Soules and even defended him. Robert Roepke, father to Mosher’s wife, told People that the deadly car crash that was allegedly caused by Chris Soules was a “huge mistake.”

“I believe it was a very tragic, sad accident that took the life of a guy that was just coming home from work,” Roepke started. “This is corn planting time, the best time of the year for a farmer. Kenny was working on one of the farms just a little north of Aurora and I think he was just coming home. For Chris, what happened was just a freak accident.”

Roepke later adds that he believes Chris Soules came from good family and is “still well-vested in farming” and that the former reality star still has a great life ahead of him. “This is a serious bump in the road and I don’t know about his [alleged] alcohol issue but I just know that this was a huge mistake. It’s something he’s going to have to deal with for the rest of his life. It just ended very tragically.”

Moreover, Daily Mail reports that Roepke referred to Mosher as “a husband, father, and grandfather, will be remembered as a hardworking farmer whose passion was planting corn.” It is apparent that Mosher loved his work as a corn farmer and did care much about the land he worked on. Also, Mosher was also a family oriented man, with his wife Nancy, two sons and three grandchildren.

[Featured Image By Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images]