Chris Soules entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday, May 16, to a charge of leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
The Bachelor alum was arrested after an April 24 accident in Iowa that resulted in the death of Kenneth Mosher, 66, after a car Soules was driving allegedly rear-ended the man’s tractor and both vehicles ended up in a ditch.
In court papers obtained by
Us Weekly on Tuesday, the 35-year-old requested a speedy trial.
Soules’ high-powered legal team is requesting specific details related to the offense he was charged with, asking for additional information that the indictment and minutes of testimony do not give.
His lawyers’ previous motion to dismiss the felony charge against him was denied by an Iowa judge on Monday, May 15. They argued that there’s no probable cause for the charge because evidence shows that the reality star called for help and checked Mosher’s pulse after the accident.
Mosher was transported to a local hospital, where he died, and Soules was arrested at his home several hours after the accident.
In audio obtained by Us Weekly, the former Bachelorette contestant could be heard telling a 911 dispatcher that he was involved in an accident and that the other driver was injured. After saying he couldn’t tell if the man was breathing, the dispatcher asked if he knew how to perform CPR. “No, I don’t,” Soules replied. He allegedly left the scene before law enforcement arrived.
“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,” read a statement from his lawyers to Us Weekly.
If found guilty of the Class D felony, Soules could face up to five years in prison and a $7,500 fine, the Des Moines Register reported.
