Taylor Frankie Paul’s neighbor called 911 ahead of the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star’s 2023 arrest once she heard “screaming.”
“First, there’s like domestic violence; somebody is screaming, ‘Get off me.’ There is a woman screaming,” Paul’s neighbor told emergency operators in footage obtained by Us Weekly from the Herriman City Police Department in Utah. “The garage door keeps opening and shutting. It sounds like she’s trying to get out.”
The individual further remarked that it seemed “like somebody [was] leaving” the property.
“Somebody’s getting in the truck,” she said. “So, it looks like the lady who was screaming might be leaving right now. … [She] actually didn’t leave. Now, she’s going back in the house.”
Paul and now-ex Dakota Mortensen got into a physical altercation in February 2023, leading to Paul’s domestic violence arrest. She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault as part of a plea deal to dismiss additional charges of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury and criminal mischief. (Paul shares Indy, 8, and Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul, as well as son Ever, 2, with Mortensen, 33.)
According to Paul’s neighbor, she didn’t hear any weapons or signs of the then-couple drinking alcohol.
“I know they have kids, [but] I don’t know if the kids are there right now, because I think she shares time with her ex-husband,” the woman said, adding that she wasn’t sure whether Taylor sustained any injuries. “I would love to know if they’re OK. I mean, it looks like she’s OK right now. I don’t know if somebody else in there was screaming.”
She continued at the time, “I don’t know what is going on. But anyway, I don’t really want them to know that I’m the one that’s calling the police.”
Footage from Taylor and Mortensen’s fight leaked earlier this month, in which the MomTok creator was seen physically assaulting Mortensen and throwing chairs at him in front of her daughter. Afterward, ABC canceled plans to air Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” a spokesperson for Taylor told Us in a March 19 statement. “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 added, “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.”
Mortensen, for his part, has publicly denied any accusations regarding his conduct at the time and was granted a temporary protective order against Taylor. Per the court order, Mortensen was also awarded sole custody of son Ever until a court hearing next month.
As for Taylor, she returned to social media on Thursday, March 26.
“Thank you to every check in, call, prayer sent,” she wrote in a since-expired post via her Instagram Stories. “Your unconditional kindness and check in can be someone’s lifeline.”
Us Weekly has reached out to a rep for Taylor for comment.
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.
Read the full article here
