Taylor Frankie Paul Arrest: Plea, Custody, and 2026 Review

Taylor Frankie Paul’s arrest took place on February 17, 2023, in Herriman, Utah, after a domestic violence incident with her then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen. She was initially charged with five counts, including a felony aggravated assault, but ultimately pleaded to a single third-degree felony aggravated assault count held in abeyance, with 36 months of supervised probation and a review date in August 2026. The case returned to the headlines in March 2026 when newly released video of the incident prompted ABC to cancel her season of The Bachelorette days before its premiere.

What Happened the Night of the Arrest

Officers from the Herriman City Police Department responded to a domestic disturbance at the home Paul shared with Mortensen. According to the police report, Mortensen told officers the two had been arguing and that Paul began hitting him when he tried to leave. Paul admitted to throwing items at him, including a chair and a wooden playset.¹

Paul’s five-year-old daughter was in the room during the altercation and was struck by one of the objects, leaving a “goose egg” on her head.¹ Body-camera footage from the arrest was later featured in the first episode of the Hulu series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.²

The Original Charges

Prosecutors filed five counts against Paul:

One count of felony aggravated assault
Two counts of felony domestic violence in the presence of a child causing injury
One count of misdemeanor child abuse
One count of misdemeanor criminal mischief³

The Plea and Probation Terms

On August 25, 2023, Paul appeared in Salt Lake County Court and entered a plea in abeyance to one third-degree felony count of aggravated assault. The four remaining charges were dismissed with prejudice.⁴ Under Utah law, a third-degree felony carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.⁵

A plea in abeyance is not a conviction. The court holds the plea without entering judgment while the defendant completes court-ordered conditions. Paul’s conditions include:

36 months of supervised probation
Substance abuse and domestic violence evaluations
Completion of any recommended treatment
No major law violations during the three-year period³

If she complies with every condition, the felony is to be reduced to a Class A misdemeanor at the end of probation. The review date is August 2026.⁶ On February 6, 2026, the Adult Probation and Parole Department transferred supervision of her case back to the court, with the final review scheduled for August 7, 2026.⁷

Why the Arrest Returned to the News in 2026

Paul had been selected as the lead of ABC’s The Bachelorette Season 22. The season was fully filmed and scheduled to premiere on March 22, 2026. Three days before the premiere, TMZ published the 2023 video Mortensen had recorded, which showed Paul throwing chairs at him while her young daughter was in the room.⁸

ABC pulled the season within hours. A Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson said: “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family.”⁹ A representative for Mortensen denied he had proactively leaked the footage, saying he had hoped the matter would remain private for co-parenting purposes. Paul’s representative called the release a “reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior.”¹⁰

Custody and Protective Orders

On the same day the video surfaced, Mortensen filed for a protective order against Paul in the Third Judicial District Court of Salt Lake County. A court granted a temporary protective order on March 20, 2026, and gave Mortensen temporary custody of the couple’s son, Ever, born in March 2024. Paul had previously held primary custody.¹¹¹²

At an April 7, 2026 hearing, Third District Court Commissioner Russell Minas ruled that Paul could not have unsupervised visits with her son. He cited a history of “volatile behavior” directed at Mortensen in the presence of children and said that even if Mortensen “was trying to provoke a response, the actions that occurred are very troubling.” Paul was limited to eight hours per week of supervised visitation.¹²

On April 30, 2026, Commissioner Minas issued mutual three-year protective orders. Paul and Mortensen must remain at least 100 feet apart and have no contact with each other. The commissioner called the relationship “very toxic” and “beyond the pale in a lot of ways,” saying Paul appeared “more reactive” while Mortensen seemed “more calculating.”¹³

Visitation loosened at the next hearing. On June 1, 2026, Commissioner Minas ruled that Paul could have unsupervised overnight visits with her son under Utah’s minimum parent-time provision: overnight visits every other weekend plus one midday weekday visit. Mortensen keeps holiday custody. Both parents were ordered to complete therapy recommendations, follow all Division of Child and Family Services instructions, hire a private attorney for the child, and refrain from making disparaging remarks about each other on social media. A follow-up hearing was set for July 8, 2026.¹⁴¹⁵

The 2026 Investigations and Why No New Charges Were Filed

Two separate domestic violence investigations opened in February 2026. The Draper City Police Department began investigating on February 23 after a friend of Mortensen reported a domestic assault at Paul’s residence. Mortensen described incidents involving “grabbing, scratching, shoving, and striking” and provided photographs of neck scratches. The West Jordan Police Department opened a second investigation after Mortensen submitted a video that officers believed dated to early-to-mid 2024.¹⁶

Paul’s attorney, Eric Swinyard, gave a different account. He alleged that during a confrontation in Mortensen’s truck, Mortensen “slammed Paul’s head into the dashboard and punched her in the leg,” and provided photographs of Paul’s bruises.¹⁷ Police records documented bruises and scratches on both people and a bloody nose on Mortensen.¹⁸

On April 14, 2026, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office announced it would not file new criminal charges against Paul. Breanne Miller, a lawyer in the Family Protection Unit, wrote that some of the reported incidents fell outside the statute of limitations, others did not “rise to the level of criminal offenses,” and the remaining allegations “lack sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges” and lacked “specificity as to when and what actually occurred or corroboration.”¹⁹ A Draper prosecutor separately cited “insufficient corroborating evidence” and said neither Paul nor Mortensen was considered a “credible witness.”²⁰

Because no charges were filed, the investigations do not affect Paul’s existing probation from the 2023 case, the district attorney’s office confirmed.²¹

What Happens in August 2026

The final review of Paul’s plea in abeyance is set for August 7, 2026. If she has met all the conditions of her agreement, completed treatment, and avoided new law violations during the 36-month supervised period, the third-degree felony aggravated assault charge is to be reduced to a Class A misdemeanor.⁴⁷

1
E! Online. Taylor Frankie Paul Details 2023 Arrest Video Events
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NBC News. Utah DA Declines Charges Taylor Frankie Paul Domestic Violence
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E! Online. Taylor Frankie Paul Timeline of Allegations
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The Salt Lake Tribune. Mormon Mom TikTok Star Taylor Frankie Paul Plea
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Utah Courts. Criminal Justice Penalties
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USA Today. Taylor Frankie Paul Dakota Mortensen Charges Domestic Violence Investigation
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ABC4. Secret Lives Mormon Wives Bachelorette Taylor Frankie Paul Domestic Violence
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NPR. ABC Cancels Upcoming Bachelorette Season Citing Video of Star in 2023 Attack
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NBC News. Bachelorette Canceled Taylor Frankie Paul Season
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People. Taylor Frankie Paul Bachelorette Season Canceled
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ABC4. Inside Taylor Frankie Paul Controversy Timeline Events
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U.S. News. Taylor Frankie Paul Faces Protective Order Hearing in Utah
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ABC4. Taylor Paul Dakota Mortensen Protective Order
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The Salt Lake Tribune. Taylor Frankie Paul Can Now See Her Son
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USA Today. Taylor Frankie Paul Dakota Mortensen Custody Battle
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People. Taylor Frankie Paul Speaks Out, Won’t Face Domestic Violence Charges
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Times Union. Taylor Frankie Paul Faces Protective Order
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KUTV. Video Released in Domestic Violence Allegations Involving Taylor Frankie Paul
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ABC4. DA No Charges Taylor Frankie Paul
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The Salt Lake Tribune. Taylor Frankie Paul Won’t Be Charged
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People. Taylor Frankie Paul Domestic Violence Investigations Won’t Affect Probation Status