Taylor Frankie Paul May Face Elevated Charges Following Plea
Taylor Frankie Paul may face increased charges related to a recent alleged domestic violence incident stemming from her 2023 plea deal.
“Late last week, we requested all the investigative materials to assess the latest allegations for potential charges,” Salt Lake City District Attorney Sim Gill stated to Us Weekly on Monday, March 23. “We made this request due to the possibility that charges could be heightened because of a previous plea in abeyance concerning a domestic violence offense.”
Earlier this month, various media outlets reported an alleged incident involving Taylor and her ex, Dakota Mortensen. A spokesperson from the Draper City Police Department later confirmed an active “domestic assault investigation” concerning the former couple, who have a 2-year-old son named Ever.
The alleged altercation led Hulu to pause filming for season 5 of the popular reality TV series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The Draper City Police Department verified that “allegations have been made in both directions” and that “contact was made with the involved parties on [February] 24th and 25th.”
“There’s more context to everything, and it’s unfortunate,” Taylor exclusively told Us at a press dinner in New York City on Tuesday, March 17. “It’s been hard. It sucks to find myself in this position. As a mother, I will always stand my ground. I believe I am a good mother and have always treated my kids well. The headlines right now are difficult to see because they don’t reflect the truth. I have always respected my children and have never laid a hand on them. This has been incredibly challenging.”
Days later, on Thursday, March 19, TMZ released a video of the 2023 altercation between Taylor and Dakota. The footage shows Taylor physically assaulting Dakota and throwing multiple chairs at him, which unintentionally struck her daughter.
Taylor was later arrested and charged with aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse, and criminal mischief. She pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault, leading to the dismissal of the other charges.
According to her plea deal, her aggravated assault charge would be reduced to a misdemeanor by August 2026, as long as she adhered to the terms of the agreement. One stipulation was to refrain from violating any laws. Her 36-month probation is set to conclude on August 24, 2026—however, experts caution that her previous plea agreement might be affected by the latest domestic violence allegation.
“For someone on probation for a violent crime, few situations are worse than being arrested again for a violent crime—especially with both cases involving claims of domestic abuse,” stated criminal defense attorney R.J. Dreiling, a former Los Angeles County prosecutor in the family violence unit, speaking exclusively to Us on Thursday.
“Even if there isn’t sufficient evidence for formal charges in the most recent case, the prosecutor could still consider it a probation violation,” he added. “This could lead to a move to revoke her prior deal and seek custody time.”
For his part, Dakota has denied any wrongdoing and released a statement shortly after the 2023 footage was leaked by TMZ.
“As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply troubling situation,” Dakota told Us on Thursday. “Unfortunately, I am accustomed to these unfounded claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. My focus is on our son and his safety, and I hope Taylor will prioritize that as well.”
Dakota subsequently filed for and was granted temporary custody of Ever, along with a temporary protective order against Taylor, according to court documents obtained by Us on Friday, March 20.
