Lead
Newly released bodycam footage from the night of Taylor Frankie Paul’s 2023 arrest shows her then-partner, Dakota Mortensen, repeatedly telling Draper City officers to take him into custody rather than Paul after what police later classified as a domestic incident. The video, obtained and shared by media outlets in March 2024, captures a chaotic scene at the Utah residence where both adults exchanged accusations and a child was present. Paul was arrested and later pleaded guilty in abeyance to an aggravated assault charge in August; several related charges were dismissed. The episode prompted network and production decisions affecting Paul’s television projects.
Key takeaways
- Footage from the Feb. 24–25, 2023 incident shows Mortensen asking officers to arrest him instead of Taylor Frankie Paul; the encounter was recorded by responding officers and later released to the press.
- Paul was arrested at the scene and in August pleaded guilty in abeyance to an aggravated assault charge; misdemeanor criminal mischief and a domestic-violence-in-presence-of-a-child charge were dismissed.
- Draper City Police confirmed an investigation on March 16, saying allegations were made “in both directions,” according to published reports.
- Video material released publicly includes apparent chair-throwing and a child crying; Paul shares an 8-year-old daughter, Indy, with ex-husband Tate Paul.
- Broad industry fallout included ABC choosing not to air Paul’s upcoming season of The Bachelorette and production pauses for The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
- In the footage, officers told Mortensen that Paul was identified as the primary aggressor; Mortensen repeatedly said Paul was struggling and asked officers to cite him instead.
- A later police phone exchange included an officer asking whether Paul had urinated that night; Mortensen described water in his vehicle after an alleged object was thrown.
Background
The incident that led to Paul’s arrest unfolded the night of Feb. 24–25, 2023 at a Draper, Utah residence where Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen were together. Media outlets later obtained police video and audio from the scene; the Draper City Police Department confirmed in March 2024 that it had investigated alleged domestic-assault activity from those dates. Public attention increased because Paul is a television personality with recent roles on reality programs.
Following the arrest, prosecutors filed multiple charges including aggravated assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child; court records show Paul entered a plea of guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault in August, while some misdemeanor counts were dismissed. The presence of a child and the release of graphic video amplified scrutiny from both news organizations and the entertainment industry, prompting networks and production companies to pause or cancel programming featuring Paul.
Main event
The newly public video opens with officers encountering a distressed household where both adults exchange verbal accusations. Mortensen tells officers Paul is intoxicated and that she had been at a girls’ night earlier; Paul denies problems when the officer asks what is happening. As the scene escalates on camera, parties are separated and officers collect competing accounts of who initiated physical contact.
At one point Mortensen can be heard telling the officer, “She’s struggling,” and asking the officer to consider charging him instead: “Why can’t it be me? Can I go?” The responding officer told Mortensen no, citing that he had been informed Paul was the primary aggressor in the series of events. Video that circulated previously appears to show a metal chair thrown and a child crying on scene.
In a separate phone exchange released by media, an officer asks Mortensen if he recalled Paul “peeing her pants” that night; Mortensen replies he did not notice because water had spread in his truck after an object was allegedly thrown. Officers describe a volatile dynamic and warned Mortensen the situation could have been much worse; they also offered him written forms to document his version of events for investigators.
Analysis & implications
The footage and subsequent reporting underscore how domestic incidents involving public figures generate rapid media and industry consequences, even before full legal resolution. Paul’s guilty-in-abeyance plea resolves one criminal count without a standard conviction record while other charges were dismissed, but the public release of video shaped network responses and public perception. For talent and production teams, the case illustrates the reputational and commercial risks when on- and off-screen behavior collide.
Legally, the case shows prosecutors navigating evidence that includes both bodycam footage and witness statements, including contradictory narratives from those on scene. Pleading guilty in abeyance is a negotiated outcome that typically mitigates long-term criminal exposure if certain conditions are met, but it does not erase public or professional fallout. The presence of a child at the scene introduced additional statutory and ethical concerns, and the dismissal of some counts suggests prosecutors exercised discretion based on available evidence and charging standards.
For law enforcement and victim advocates, the exchange also highlights common complexities: intoxication, mutual accusations, and bystander or third-party perception can complicate determinations about primary aggressors. Officers’ choices about arrest, documentation, and evidence preservation can shape both legal outcomes and media narratives. The incident may prompt industry discussions about background vetting, crisis response, and support resources for cast and crew involved in high-profile productions.
Comparison & data
| Item | Date/Outcome |
|---|---|
| Incident occurred | |
| Police investigation confirmed | (Draper PD confirmation to press) |
| Court resolution | August 2023 — guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault; related charges dismissed |
| Media & industry action | March 2024 — ABC shelved The Bachelorette season; production paused for The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives |
The table summarizes the timeline and outcomes reported by law enforcement and media. While the guilty-in-abeyance plea is a specific court disposition with conditions attached, several related criminal counts were dropped. Industry decisions to halt or cancel programming followed release and circulation of the video and public reporting rather than court timing alone.
Reactions & quotes
Officials, the parties involved, and industry representatives reacted in different ways as footage and reports circulated.
“She’s struggling. She’s going through a lot… I think my finger’s broken, dude.”
Dakota Mortensen (on-scene, police video)
Mortensen’s comments in the recording frame him as attempting to de‑escalate public consequence for Paul while also reporting physical injury to himself. His repeated requests that officers charge him instead of Paul are audible in the footage and formed part of how media outlets characterized the on‑scene interaction.
“She was the primary aggressor of everything.”
Responding officer (on-scene, police recording)
The officer’s assessment—reported in the footage—was a key reason Mortensen was not arrested at that time. Officers told Mortensen they would document his account, but that their initial determination identified Paul as the primary aggressor based on statements and the scene.
“Allegations have been made in both directions.”
Draper City Police Department (public statement to press)
The department’s public acknowledgement of reciprocal allegations reflects standard practice in complex domestic investigations; it also signaled to local media that investigators were weighing competing narratives and evidence.
Unconfirmed
- Accounts that Paul urinated on herself that night come from an officer’s question in a released phone exchange; there is no independent public confirmation of that claim.
- Mortensen’s statement that his finger was broken and that he sustained specific injuries has not been independently corroborated in public records available to reporters.
- Some characterizations of who initiated specific physical acts rely on partial video segments and witness statements; full investigative records have not been released publicly.
Bottom line
The released police video and related reporting show a volatile domestic incident involving Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen that led to an arrest, a negotiated court outcome, and industry consequences for Paul’s television work. While the video gives the public a clear window into the scene, legal outcomes reflect negotiated dispositions and prosecutorial choices rather than a full courtroom adjudication.
Key uncertainties remain: some physical-claim details and competing narratives were not independently verified in public records, and the case demonstrates how evidence, media exposure, and organizational responses interact in high-profile domestic incidents. Observers should distinguish what officers recorded and what investigators later determined in court from unproven assertions that circulated in press coverage.