Following a hearing on Monday, the courts decided that former Bachelor Chris Soules will be allowed to remove an ankle monitor he was ordered to wear after he was involved in a fatal car crash in April, KCRG reports.
The crash killed 66-year-old Kenneth Mosher, who was driving a tractor that was hit by Soules’ pick-up. Soules was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash, though his lawyers argued Soules fulfilled his legal obligation by calling 911 and waiting for paramedics to arrive.
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“He then did the morally and legally responsible thing by staying on the scene and remaining on the scene of the accident until emergency governmental authorities arrived,” attorney Robert Montgomery told the judge. He added that Iowa code does not specify that the 36-year-old specifically needed to wait at the scene to speak with authorities.
Prosecutors argue that Soules left after 14 minutes and did not give law enforcement enough time to properly assess the situation.
“People who have a fender bender are at a crash scene longer than Mr. Soules,” said Assistant Iowa Attorney General Scott Brown. “Because this is a fatality it is necessary for law enforcement to at least have a face to face interaction with those that are involved.”
Soules’ attorney Alfredo Parrish said that Soules is still distressed over the accident.
“It’s tragic, it’s his neighbor,” Parrish said. “He’s still quite distressed by the whole matter and obviously facing charges as a result where he tried to comply with everything that was necessary under the law, all that is a very distressful situation for any citizen.”
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