Taylor Frankie Paul asked why she was charged with reckless child abuse in footage from her 2023 arrest following a domestic violence incident with ex Dakota Mortensen.
“I saw I was being charged with reckless child abuse. What’s the difference between reckless child abuse and child abuse?” Taylor, 31, asked a detective during a follow-up visit to her home one week after her arrest in February 2023, as seen in bodycam footage obtained by Us Weekly.
The detective explained to Taylor that reckless child abuse occurs when the child is harmed accidentally rather than intentionally.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star then recalled the night of the incident, where footage showed her throwing chairs at Dakota, 33. One chair allegedly hit and injured her daughter, Indy, 8, whom Taylor shares with ex-husband Tate Paul. (Taylor and Tate also share son Ocean, 5, while Taylor and Dakota share son Ever, 2.)
Taylor Frankie Paul’s Mom Calls 2023 Incident ‘Domestic Violence’
“So, I guess, obviously, me throwing the chair at my boyfriend, him deflecting it, it was an accident. [Indy] didn’t have any injuries, I guess. Where does that, I guess, show child abuse even though it was an accident, like, she had no injuries?” Taylor asked.
The detective explained that an investigation with family members after the incident determined that Indy “did have a little minor injury.”
“She did? Because my mom said that she talked to the officer, they checked for that, and she didn’t have one,” Taylor responded.
The detective added, “We spoke to multiple people, not just your mom … where we came to that determination.”
Taylor continued, “I’m just freaking out because obviously it was, like, an accident. Do they take that into consideration that I wasn’t, like, aiming for my daughter? … I’m just freaking out, it’s hard. It sucks. Is it super bad?”
The detective responded, “Is it super bad? Well, no one‘s dead. It’s definitely not a good thing.”
Another officer told Taylor, “It’s not life-altering. It’s not the end of your world. You will get past this. I would use this as a really good learning lesson. If you need to get some help for any issues, get it.”
The officers advised Taylor to “look like a model citizen” until she spoke to a prosecutor and reminded her that she would “get through it.” Taylor then became emotional as she spoke about not being able to see her children.
“It is when you don’t have your kids,” she said through tears.
“You’re not going to not have them forever,” an officer said, to which she replied, “They don’t know.”
‘Mormon Wives’ Star Taylor Frankie Paul’s 2023 Arrest Explained
Taylor was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse and criminal mischief. She took a deal where she pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault in order to get the other charges dropped. Her charge will be downgraded to a misdemeanor if she follows the terms of the deal for three years.
Taylor and Dakota were allegedly involved in a separate domestic violence incident last month, which resulted in Dakota being awarded temporary custody of Ever and a temporary protective order against Taylor.
Police are also reportedly investigating claims of a third domestic violence incident made by Dakota following an alleged altercation in 2024.
In the aftermath of video footage of Taylor and Dakota’s 2023 domestic violence incident being released, ABC made the decision to cancel Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette, which was set to premiere on Sunday, March 22.
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. If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
