Prosecutors in Utah said Tuesday that they would not file charges against Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul following a domestic violence investigation involving Paul and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.
Police in the Salt Lake City suburbs of Draper City and West Jordan have been investigating claims of domestic violence in 2024 and this February from Mortensen, the father of Paul’s two-year-old son, Ever. Paul has also made allegations against Mortensen, but those were not addressed in the documents, according to The Associated Press.
“Several incidents that were submitted do not rise to the level of criminal offenses. The remaining incidents lack sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges,” Breanne Miller, a lawyer in the district attorney’s family protection unit, wrote in a memo explaining that Paul would not be charged.
Miller noted that some reported incidents occurred more than three years ago and fell outside the legal time frame for review.
“Such incidents lack specificity as to when and what actually occurred or corroboration,” Miller wrote.
The declining of charges does not have a direct effect on Mortensen’s protective order against Paul, which has been temporarily granted and could become long-term at an April 30 hearing. But the lack of prosecution could help Paul, 31, and her lawyers make her case to a court commissioner who, at an earlier hearing, ordered that she could have visits with her son only if they were supervised.
Eric Swinyard, a lawyer for Paul, argued at an April 7 hearing that Mortensen was the aggressor in a February fight the lawyer called “the truck tussle.”
Mortensen, 33, said in his request for a protective order that Paul threw a drink at him as they argued in a truck so as not to wake the children who were sleeping inside Paul’s home. But Swinyard said Mortensen slammed Paul’s head into the dashboard and punched her in the leg, and provided photos she took of her bruises.
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Paul and Mortensen’s relationship has been a major storyline on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which follows a group of Mormon mom influencers while they navigate their relationships. Paul and Mortensen have had an on-and-off relationship following her split with ex-husband Tate Paul in 2022. She is also mom to eight-year-old Indy and five-year-old Ocean from her previous marriage with Tate.
Paul took to her Instagram stories on Tuesday and shared a blurry photo of a vase filled with flowers and a card with a butterfly image.
“Cried when I got the call 🙏 THANK YOU to those that have stood with me,” she wrote.
Any new charges against Paul would have violated her probation, which stemmed from a 2023 assault on Mortensen.
Paul was previously arrested for domestic violence charges following the incident in 2023.
She faced misdemeanour charges of assault, criminal mischief and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child after she was accused of throwing a chair at Mortensen that reportedly hit her daughter.
Paul pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in August 2023, while the other charges were dismissed, according to ABC4 Utah.
Footage of the alleged 2023 incident between Paul and Mortensen, where she can be seen kicking and hitting her ex-boyfriend and throwing chairs at him, was leaked to TMZ on March 19.
“Your daughter is right here,” Mortensen says in the video before Paul throws a chair in his direction.
ABC decided to pull Season 22 of The Bachelorette, starring Paul, after the video surfaced.
“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,” Disney Entertainment Television said in a statement on March 20.
Disney’s statement did not include details on what the network planned to do with the already filmed season of the dating reality series.
Following the news of the season cancellation, Paul said in a statement from her spokesperson: “Taylor 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.
“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.”
In response, Mortensen said, “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. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same,” his statement said.
Global News has reached out to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office for further information.
When contacted, Paul’s reps directed Global News to their original statement from March 19 and to the prosecutors’ comments.
— With files from The Associated Press
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