Dakota Mortensen shared his side of the story with officers via a phone call after his 2023 domestic dispute with Taylor Frankie Paul.
In a video obtained by Us Weekly, an officer asked whether he was trying to “protect” Taylor’s daughter, to which Dakota replied, “Yeah, she’s on the couch right there.”
Dakota went on to recall worrying that Taylor might accidentally hit her daughter by throwing chairs.
“She threw another one and that’s when I started getting nervous,” he said, adding that he went close to the child to “protect her, which maybe I shouldn’t have done that. [Taylor] threw another chair. I deflected it and hit it with my arm, but it still hit [Indy]. Like, it bounced down and hit her.”
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Dakota explained that Taylor’s daughter began crying because “she got hit” but said he had “no idea” where she was struck. (Taylor shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul. She is also the mom of son Ever, 2, with Dakota.)
“Every time I tried to help her, I was getting attacked, so I couldn’t,” he said. “I had to hold her down because she wouldn’t stop throwing stuff there. I tried to, like, hold her, squeeze her, almost like a bear hug, and then she just started hitting me again.”
Taylor was arrested in 2023 following a domestic dispute with Dakota, where she was charged with aggravated assault, domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse and criminal mischief. She pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault in exchange for the other charges being dropped.
Earlier this month, news broke that Taylor and Dakota had been involved in a separate domestic violence incident in February. A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department in Utah confirmed to Us Weekly at the time that there was an open “domestic assault investigation” concerning the pair with allegations “made in both directions.” The alleged incident led to season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives halting production.
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Days before Taylor’s season 22 of The Bachelorette was set to air on ABC, TMZ released footage from the 2023 incident of Taylor assaulting Dakota and throwing multiple chairs at him. ABC subsequently announced their plan to pull Taylor’s season.
“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,” a Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson told Us in a statement at the time.
Following the show’s cancellation, Taylor shared in a statement via her rep that she is “very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security.”
“After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm,” the rep said.
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The statement continued, “There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives. Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support and preparing to own and share her story.”
Dakota, for his part, addressed the footage in a separate statement.
“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,” he said. “I am focusing on our son and his safety and hope that Taylor will do the same.”
Dakota has been granted a temporary protective order against Taylor, per court documents obtained by Us. He has also been given temporary custody of their son.
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NBC News has since reported that Utah’s West Jordan Police Department is looking into claims made by Dakota following an alleged domestic dispute in 2024 with Taylor. The outlet reported that Dakota contacted authorities last month about the incident.
While declining to give further details to NBC News due to the ongoing investigation, the West Jordan Police Department spokesperson confirmed authorities are reviewing video footage connected to the alleged incident. Us Weekly reached out to the West Jordan Police Department and representatives for both Taylor and Dakota for comment at the time.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
