Chris Soules has the support of friends from Bachelor Nation after his arrest following a fatal car crash in his Iowa hometown. Soules was allegedly driving a Chevy truck that rear-ended a tractor, causing both vehicles to roll into a ditch. The driver of the tractor, Kenneth Mosher, was killed, and Soules was later arrested at his home for leaving the scene of a deadly crash, according to KWWL .
Chris was reportedly uncooperative with police when they arrived at his house. A search warrant was obtained and Soules was arrested and charged with a felony after leaving the scene of a fatal car accident. Soules was not charged with driving under the influence, but alcoholic beverage containers were reportedly found at the crash scene. Chris was later released from jail on $10,000 cash bond.
It’s no surprise that Soules, an Iowa farmer who starred on the 19 th season of ABC’s The Bachelor , is getting slammed on social media. The hate is so bad that Chris reportedly deleted his Instagram profile, which had nearly 800,000 followers. But Chris Soules is getting support from several of his friends from The Bachelor franchise, as well as a relative of the victim.
In a statement to E! News , Soules’ close friend Luke Pell, who competed on JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette , said he is saddened for Chris.
“Chris by far is one of my closest friends from the Bachelor family,” Pell told E! News .
“We’ve got similar backgrounds growing up in small towns and everything so we have a lot in common and relate a lot on our backgrounds. I’ve gotten to know Chris and he’s just a great guy that loves people who is very sincere and genuine. That’s what hooks me is that, man, I just hate to hear that such a great person is having to go through a struggle like this. It’s tough and super unfortunate and [I’m] just sad that it happened.”
Chris Soules deletes his Instagram as Bachelor Nation’s Luke Pell comes to his defense: https://t.co/pDuSll6nMm pic.twitter.com/T60doACjS5
— E! News (@enews) April 26, 2017
Bachelor in Paradise alum Marcus Grodd also said he is there for Soules.
“It’s tragic that someone’s life has been lost and I’m sure Chris is scared,” Grodd told E .
“I’m sure he’s devastated for the family and scared for himself. If he needs anything, I’m there.”
Soules’ former flame, Bachelorette star Andi Dorfman, told Entertainment Tonight she knows he is devastated by the tragic accident.
“It’s all very sad,” Dorfman told ET .
“I haven’t talked to Chris yet but, knowing him, I know that he is probably devastated. My thoughts go out to [Mosher] and his family, as well as the Soules family. You never want to hear that a friend has been involved in a horrific, life-altering tragedy like this. I’m just saddened for everyone involved.”
More surprising than the Bachelor alums’ is the support for Chris Soules from one of Mosher’s relatives. Robert Roepke, whose daughter is married to the late farmer’s son, told People he believes the deadly crash was just a “huge mistake” on Soules’ part.
“I believe it was a very tragic, sad accident that took the life of a guy that was just coming home from work,” Roepke told People . “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 also said that Soules “comes from a good family and is still well-vested in farming.”
“He’s got a great life ahead of him,” he said of Chris.
“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.”
Roepke estimated that Soules lives about 10 miles from the Mosher family and that the two men had land that bordered each other that they farmed.
“I think, yeah they knew each other, but they were in different social circles,” he said.
Chris Soules’ former fiancée, Whitney Bischoff, told People everyone involved in the tragedy is in her prayers .
“This is a very sad situation,” Soules’ ex said. “I’m keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers, especially the victim and his family.”
Chris Soules has not publicly spoken about his arrest, but a rep for the reality star issued a statement saying he is “devastated” by Mosher’s death. Soules has a court appearance set for May 2.
[Featured Image by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for iHeartMedia]