On Monday, multiple sources reported that Chris Soules' lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the felony charge brought against him following his arrest on Tuesday, April 25. As previously reported, Soules allegedly left the scene of a fatal car accident near Aurora, Iowa on Monday, April 24 and was charged with allegedly committing a class D felony. The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office confirmed Soules' arrest and charge last Tuesday. The motion to dismiss was reportedly filed on Monday, before Soules is set to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on May 2. Bustle reached out to Soules' lawyers for comment, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
UPDATE: A rep for Soules released the following statement to Bustle on May 3: "Neither Mr. Soules nor his legal counsel will be responding to the numerous tabloid style articles and journalists who have been reporting false and misleading stories by citing 'unnamed sources.' Rather, they will be focusing on presenting the truth, which will reveal how inaccurate and unfair so many of these news accounts have been. We are confident that the fair-minded citizens of Iowa will do what they’ve always done – reserve judgment until all of the accurate information is properly presented."
EARLIER: Per Us Weekly, Soules' lawyers claim in the court documents that there is no probable cause for a felony charge against the former Bachelor star. "A recording of a 911 phone call placed by Mr. Soules provides real-time evidence that Mr. Soules unhesitatingly identified himself and his role in the accident to dispatch and tried his utmost to resuscitate Mr. Mosher," the documents state according to Us.
The documents reportedly continue, "The evidence will further show that emergency responders arrived on the scene shortly after Mr. Soules concluded his 911 call. Mr. Soules remained on the scene with those emergency responders for several more minutes before returning to his home."
Last Wednesday, Bustle received 911 audio from the sheriff's office showing that although he allegedly left the scene of the crash, Soules called 911 after the accident. Also on Wednesday, Soules spoke out personally for the first time since his arrest. "My family and I are overwhelmed with this tragedy, but we are sticking together and we’ll get through it," he told InTouch Weekly. "Thank you for reaching out."
On Thursday, April 27, Soules' lawyers released a statement (via Just Jared). The statement reads in its entirety:
Chris Soules has retained attorneys Alfredo Parrish, Brandon Brown, and Gina Messamer of the Des Moines, Iowa law firm Parrish Kruidenier to represent him. Brown recognized the heightened level of interest because of Soules’ celebrity status, but asked that members of the public do not prejudge this case based on media coverage. Soules’ 911 call, released yesterday, proved that the initial knee-jerk coverage of this accident was incorrect.
While initial reports suggested Soules fled the scene, the 911 call confirms that Soules in fact was the one who contacted law enforcement immediately. During the call, he clearly identified himself and explained his role in the terrible accident. Soules attempted to resuscitate Mr. Mosher and remained on the scene with him until emergency medical personnel arrived. Soules’ attorneys are exploring the possibility of a gag order to prevent further misinformation from prejudicing Soules’ right to a fair trial.
Soules’ legal team is working to gather all of the evidence and review the facts of this tragic collision. They have already filed a demand asking law enforcement to preserve possible evidence and anticipate filing additional motions next week. His attorneys are confident that once all the evidence is made public, it will show Soules acted reasonably and did everything in his power to provide aid to Mr. Mosher.
Due to the nature of the pending charges, neither Soules nor his counsel will be making any statements at this time. Soules and his family request that their privacy and the privacy of Mr. Mosher’s family is respected. Everyone in this close-knit farming community is mourning Mr. Mosher’s passing. Soules offers his sincere condolences to the Mosher family.
At the time of his arrest, Bustle reached out to Soules' rep for comment, but did not receive a response at the time of publication. The Tuesday of his arrest, Soules' former lawyers, Sean Spellman and Molly Spellman of West Des Moines, Iowa, gave the following statement to Just Jared:
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 and with Mr. Mosher’s family.
The Buchanan County Sheriff's released the following press release to Bustle on Tuesday:
On Monday, April 24, 2017 at approximately 8:20 pm, the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 report of a motor vehicle accident with injuries in the 1000 blk of Slater Avenue (W45) north ofAurora. According to the investigation, a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado operated by Christopher Douglas Soules, 35, of Arlington was southbound on Slater Avenue when he struck the rear of a southbound John Deere 2640 tractor operated by Kenneth Eugene Mosher, 66, of Aurora. The collision caused the tractor to go into the east ditch. Soules’ vehicle went into the west ditch. Mosher was transported to Mercy Hospital in Oelwein where he was pronounced dead. Soules was uninjured in the accident and left the scene of the accident prior to law enforcement arrival. Soules was located shortly after at his residence located in the 7500 blk of B Avenue in near Arlington in Fayette County. He was subsequently arrested and transported to the Buchanan County Jail, where he was charged with Leaving the Scene of a Fatality Motor Vehicle Accident (class D felony). Soules bonded out of the Buchanan County Jail on a $10,000 bond on Tuesday morning, April 25, 2017.No other information is being released at this time pending the continued investigation into the cause of the accident. Due to the on-going investigation, further charges may be pending. The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in this incident by the Iowa State Patrol, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Aurora Fire Department and Oelwein Mercy Ambulance Service.
