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New bodycam footage from Taylor Frankie Paul’s 2023 domestic violence arrest reveals the aftermath of her alleged altercation with former boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
On Monday, March 23, TMZ released nine minutes of bodycam footage filmed as Herriman City Police Department officers arrived at Paul’s home and had to physically separate her from Dakota, 33. As the former couple open the door, Dakota tells police that “she is attacking the crap out of me,” leading to officers stepping in to separate the two when Taylor, 31, seems to take a swipe at her then-boyfriend.
“I just want to talk to you. I don’t need you throwing hands at people,” an officer tells Taylor, before she promises, “You’re good! You’re good!”
The bodycam footage cuts between Taylor and Dakota being questioned separately by Herriman City police at the scene. Dakota tells one officer that Taylor was “not doing OK in life” and that they’d agreed to both stay away from alcohol “for her health, especially.” (Earlier in the video, Dakota claimed that Taylor was “hammered.”)
“I think my finger’s broken, dude. My elbow [is hurt],” he alleges. “She hit me with a chair.”
Dakota recalls that their dispute started when he picked Taylor up from a girl’s night to attend a concert but determined that she was “in no condition.”
“I just went silent for a good 30, 40 minutes while she was just screaming,” he alleges. “It wasn’t really anything crazy, to be honest with you, until we got here [to Taylor’s home] … She started hitting me.”
Dakota accuses Taylor of throwing her phone at him when he threatened to leave the residence. The interrogation is then interrupted by Taylor returning and ordering Dakota to continue his police interview outside.
“This is my house. Get out,” she demands.
The footage soon cuts to the aftermath of Taylor’s arrest on domestic violence charges, as Dakota requests to be taken into custody instead of her.
Taylor Frankie Paul on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” Disney/Fred Hayes
“No,” the officer tells him. “The way it works is she was the primary aggressor of everything.”
“I can’t do this to her, dude,” Dakota pleads, with the officer responding. “The reality is you were victimized tonight.”
When Dakota is given a victim report to fill out, he insists, “I truly just want her to get help and that’s that.”
Dakota is ultimately told by one of the officers that Taylor was being charged with “domestic violence.”
TMZ obtained a followup phone call between police and Dakota, where he explains how Taylor’s daughter was allegedly struck by a chair during the argument.
“I have a video,” he says. “She threw the first one [chair] … and she threw another one and that’s when I was getting nervous. I went to hover over [the child] to protect her, which maybe I shouldn’t have done that, but then she threw another chair. I deflected it with my arm but it still hit [the child]. It bounced down and it hit her. … She got hit.”
Later in the clip, Dakota says, “I had to hold [Taylor] down because she wouldn’t stop throwing stuff. … Then, she just started hitting me again.”
During this call, Dakota confirms that he showed officers on the scene a video that he shot during the altercation.
The outlet also reported that police returned to Taylor’s residence one week later to confiscate one of the chairs that Paul allegedly threw.
Us Weekly has reached out to Taylor’s rep for comment.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives‘ Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen never shied away from addressing their messy — and oftentimes volatile — relationship ahead of their domestic dispute. Before the show premiered on Hulu in September 2024, Taylor and Dakota started dating following her divorce from husband Tate Paul due to a high-profile […]
TMZ originally posted footage on March 19 of an alleged 2023 domestic incident between Taylor and Dakota that led to her arrest. In the footage, Taylor allegedly physically assaults Dakota and throws multiple chairs at him in the presence of her daughter, seemingly striking the child by accident at one point.
Taylor was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse and criminal mischief. The Mormon Wives star eventually agreed to plead guilty to felony aggravated assault in order for the other charges to be dropped. (As per the terms of her plea deal, Taylor’s aggravated assault charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor in August 2026 if she meets the court’s conditions, including breaking no laws. Her 36-month probation is currently set to end on August 24, 2026.)
When cellphone footage of the alleged dispute leaked last week, Dakota’s spokesperson told Us, “As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation. I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same.”
Taylor’s rep suggested the footage had been selectively edited, telling Us, “It’s sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child.”
Taylor Frankie Paul is not in contact with Dakota Mortensen after their alleged altercation. “Right now, they aren’t in communication at all,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “Everything regarding custody of Ever is handled through family members.” News broke on Monday, March 16, that Taylor, 31, and Dakota were involved in an alleged domestic […]
“Releasing an old and selectively edited video on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior,” the statement continued. “Thankfully, the public has seen this act before and knows who he is. Sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show and from their own experiences.”
Last week, a Draper City Police Department spokesperson confirmed that Taylor and Dakota were involved in a separate “domestic assault investigation” relating to an incident that allegedly occurred in February. The police department has said that “allegations have been made in both directions” and “contact was made with involved parties on [February] 24th and 25th.”
In light of this latest incident, Salt Lake City District Attorney Sim Gill told Us on Monday that Taylor could face “enhanced” charges in connection with her 2023 plea deal.
“Late last week, we requested all the investigative material to screen the most recent allegations for charges,” Gill, 65, told Us. “We made the request because of the potential that if charges are filed, they could be enhanced due to a prior plea in abeyance to a domestic violence offense.”
Due to Taylor’s latest legal trouble, Hulu paused production on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 5 and ABC pulled her season of The Bachelorette three days before it was set to premiere on Sunday, March 22.
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
