Newly released police body-camera video from the May 2023 domestic-violence call at Taylor Frankie Paul\u2019s Herriman, Utah, home shows the social-media star visibly intoxicated, her then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen pleading to be arrested in her place, and one of the influencer\u2019s young children watching as officers handcuffed their mother and led her away.<\/p>\n
The 25-minute clip, first published by TMZ, begins the moment Herriman City officers step out of their cruisers. Even before the front door opens, Paul and Mortensen can be heard shouting over each other inside. Once the door swings wide, the camera captures Paul stumbling through the foyer, her words slurred, her balance unsteady. An officer immediately separates the couple, guiding Mortensen toward the kitchen while another follows Paul into the living room.<\/p>\n
Within seconds the scene grows more volatile. Paul attempts to pour herself a glass of water but collapses forward over the sink, sobbing. \u201cI can\u2019t do this anymore,\u201d she wails, her voice cracking. Mortensen, standing a room away, lifts his shirt to reveal red scratches along his ribcage and a bruise blooming across his shoulder. \u201cShe\u2019s not okay,\u201d he tells the officer. \u201cI can\u2019t even tell you the stuff that\u2019s happened to me.\u201d Moments later Paul storms back, points at Mortensen and yells, \u201cGet him out of my house!\u201d<\/p>\n
After interviewing both parties, investigators determine Paul was the primary aggressor. When an officer walks toward her with handcuffs, Mortensen steps forward. \u201cCan you take me instead?\u201d he asks. \u201cShe needs help, not jail.\u201d The officer calmly explains that state law requires the predominant aggressor be taken into custody and that the night could serve as the wake-up call Paul needs. \u201cI truly just want her to get help,\u201d Mortensen repeats, his voice breaking.<\/p>\n
The exchange underscores the complicated emotions inside the home. While Paul ultimately was the one charged, Mortensen\u2019s insistence that he be detained illustrates the tangled aftermath of the couple\u2019s fight, which reportedly began over parenting disagreements and escalated into thrown objects and physical contact.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most unsettling portion of the footage occurs once Paul is escorted to the garage. A small child\u2014whose face is blurred by authorities\u2014peers around a doorway as officers walk Paul past in handcuffs. The youngster\u2019s presence confirms prosecutors\u2019 original allegation of domestic violence in the presence of a child, one of four counts later dropped in a plea deal.<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s parents arrive minutes later to care for the children. Body-cam audio captures an officer briefing them: \u201cShe\u2019s going to be booked for aggravated assault. The kids are safe, but they saw more than they should have.\u201d Paul\u2019s mother nods silently, tears in her eyes.<\/p>\n
Paul, 30, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to one felony count of aggravated assault. Four additional misdemeanors\u2014domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse, assault, and criminal mischief\u2014were dismissed under the plea agreement. A judge sentenced her to three years of supervised probation, mandatory mental-health counseling, and a parenting class. If she completes the terms without violation, the felony can be reduced to a misdemeanor. Probation is set to expire in August 2026.<\/p>\n
Before the arrest, Paul commanded more than four million TikTok followers chronicling \u201cMomTok,\u201d a cluster of young Mormon mothers in the Salt Lake valley who built lucrative followings documenting dance trends, day-in-the-life clips, and candid chats about divorce and co-parenting. Brands such as FashionNova, Shein, and a handful of local Utah boutiques regularly partnered with her for paid posts estimated at $15,000 each.<\/p>\n
The scandal fractured the once tight-knit creator collective. Several MomTok personalities publicly distanced themselves, and at least three sponsors quietly declined to renew contracts, according to industry-tracking firm SocialBlade. Paul\u2019s own posting schedule slowed to a trickle for months, though she has since resumed occasional sponsored content and Q-and-A sessions about life on probation.<\/p>\n