Chris Soules' attorney: 'We are pretty close' to a deal to resolve fatal crash case

Stephen Gruber-Miller | The Des Moines Register

Show Caption Hide Caption Chris Soules' attorney: 'We are pretty close' to a deal to resolve fatal crash case Attorneys for reality TV star Chris Soules are negotiating with prosecutors on a possible deal to resolve his charge of leaving the scene of an accident.

INDEPENDENCE, Ia. — Attorneys for reality TV star Chris Soules are negotiating with prosecutors on a possible deal to resolve his charge of leaving the scene of an accident.

Soules' attorney, Alfredo Parrish, said at a hearing Tuesday that "we are pretty close to a resolution."

"There’s been substantial discussions regarding this matter and we may be in position at least by Monday to let the court know where we are," Parrish said. Buchanan County Attorney Shawn Harden agreed with his assessment.

Parrish did not provide details of his discussions with prosecutors and there is no guarantee they will be able to reach a deal.

Soules, who starred on a season of ABC's "The Bachelor," faces a felony charge of leaving the scene of a fatal traffic accident. He could face up to five years in prison for the charge and has pleaded not guilty.

Soules rear-ended 66-year-old Kenny Mosher of Aurora on April 24, 2017. Soules was driving a pickup truck and Mosher was on a tractor.

Soules called 911, administered CPR and remained on scene until paramedics arrived, but left several minutes later. Mosher was taken to a local hospital and later died.

Parrish's comments came during a pretrial conference at the Buchanan County Courthouse ahead of Soules' Nov. 7 trial.

Soules' attorneys have filed a motion to move his trial out of Independence because of the publicity the case has received and his status as a well-known local figure. They say he will not receive a fair trial unless the case is moved.

At Tuesday's proceeding, District Court Judge Andrea Dryer set an Oct. 30 hearing to resolve that motion. If the case stays in Independence, Dryer said, the trial will go forward on Nov. 7 as scheduled. If Dryer grants the motion to move the trial, she said the date will have to be pushed back because of the difficulty of finding courtroom space and a jury in another county on short notice.

It was after Dryer set a date for the hearing that Parrish said his team has been negotiating with prosecutors to resolve the charge without a trial. He said he would give Dryer an update by Oct. 22.