Former ‘Bachelor’ Chris Soules arrested after fatal crash
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Former “The Bachelor” star Chris Soules was arrested early Tuesday, accused of fleeing the scene of a deadly crash on a highway a few miles from his northern Iowa farm.
The Iowa State Patrol reports that a pickup truck rear-ended a tractor in Aurora at around 8:20 p.m., sending both vehicles into a ditch and killing the tractor driver, whose name wasn’t released. Aurora is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Soules’ farm in Arlington and about 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of Iowa City.
The Buchanan County Jail said Soules, 35, was arrested at around 1 a.m. in Aurora and booked an hour later on a charge of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
A judge set a $10,000, cash-only bond for Soules. He hadn’t been released from jail as of late morning.
The Buchanan County Sheriff’s office, which is also investigating, said it received a 911 call about the crash. It confirmed that a person was killed, but said it wouldn’t release further information “pending the investigation and notification of family.”
Court records show that Soules has had some driving infractions in the past, including a 2006 conviction for operating while intoxicated.
Soules starred on season 19 of the ABC reality show in 2015 in which dozens of single women competed for his affections. He ultimately proposed to Chicago fertility nurse Whitney Bischoff, but their relationship ended shortly after the show.
Soules has since served as a spokesman for various agricultural interests and worked in farm real estate and investing.