Former Bachelor star Chris Soules was all smiles as he was pictured for the first time since being charged in April for his involvement in a fatal hit and run crash in Iowa.
The reality TV star was spotted arriving at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City Thursday after a judge allowed him to travel outside of Iowa, where he is from the rural town of Arlington.
The 35-year-old appeared to be in a happy mood as he flashed a beaming smile while he picked up his luggage from the baggage carousel.
While outside of the airport, Soules would not comment about the fatal accident that left his neighbor, Kenneth Mosher, dead.
Soules, who appeared on the 19th season of The Bachelor, waited in the taxi line outside of the busy airport and took a phone call where he appeared to smile even more before getting into a standard yellow cab.
The former Dancing With The Stars castmember sported casual clothing and sneakers for the trip, as he tried to keep a low profile while wearing a baseball hat. It did not appear as though he was traveling with anyone for the trip.
He is accused of driving a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado truck when he rear-ended a John Deere tractor being driven by Mosher on April 24. The tractor fell into a ditch and Mosher tragically died of his injuries.
Soles was charged with leaving the scene of a deadly crash, resulting in death.
Happy?: Former Bachelor star Chris Soules was all smiles as he was pictured for the first time since being charged in Iowa for his involvement in a fatal hit and run crash in April. He was spotted arriving in New York City Thursday after a judge allowed him to travel outside of Iowa
The 35-year-old appeared to be in a happy mood while he flashed a beaming smile when he picked up his luggage from the baggage carousel
For his first outing out of Iowa, he sported casual clothing and sneakers for the trip, as he tried to keep a low profile while wearing a baseball hat. A judge has ordered him to wear a GPS tracking device
Soles went outside and got into a traditional New York City yellow cab to leave JFK
It did not appear as though the former Bachelor star was traveling with anyone for the trip
On August 29th, Soules’ attorneys asked the court for permission to allow him to leave Iowa between September 7 and September 11 to travel to New York City.
District Court Judge Andrea Dryer granted the request; Soles has a GPS tracking device and is on pre-trial supervision.
His request did not explain why he wanted to travel to New York City, but the dates do fall during Fashion Week, which runs from September 7 to September 13.
Soules was arraigned on a Class D felony charge for leaving the scene of a fatal crash back in May and he pleaded not guilty to the charge. His trial for the crime is set to begin in January.
The former Bachelor called 911 before fleeing the scene, prosecutors say. His legal team dispute claims he fled, saying he fulled all legal obligations by calling 911, identifying himself and remaining at the scene until paramedics arrived.
On August 29th, Soules’ (above on Thursday) attorneys asked the court for permission to allow him to leave Iowa between September 7 and September 11 to travel to New York City.
District Court Judge Andrea Dryer granted the request; Soles has a GPS tracking device and is on pre-trial supervision. It’s not entirely clear why Soles is in New York City
The dates for his New York trip coincidentally fall during Fashion Week, which runs from September 7 to September 13. It’s unclear if the 35-year-old is going to check out any shows
The former Dancing With The Stars contest took a phone call not long after arriving in New York City on Thursday
Soules was arrested a few hours after the crash in his hometown of Arlington and was released on $10,000 bail.
Authorities found alcoholic beverages and containers at the crash scene and Soles was caught on camera purchasing alcohol prior to the crash.
At the time of the crash, TMZ reported that police seized his cell phone and would be looking at call logs, messaging services, his pictures and social media to see whether he was distracted at the time of the accident.
If it is determined that Soules was distracted then he could be charged with vehicular manslaughter, a class C felony that carries a maximum penalty of ten years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
Soules spoke out after the incident, telling In Touch: ‘My family and I are overwhelmed with this tragedy, but we are sticking together and we’ll get through it.’