New Police Bodycam Footage Exposes Bachelorette Star's Intoxicated Arrest Confrontation
Recently unveiled police body-worn camera footage provides additional insight into the 2023 arrest of disgraced Bachelorette celebrity Taylor Frankie Paul. The latest video, acquired by TMZ, displays previously unseen segments from the night of the arrest, showing the 27-year-old Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives star arguing with a police officer while clearly intoxicated.
Intoxicated Argument and Father's Intervention
The footage begins with a tense interview on Paul's front porch, where her agitated demeanor is immediately apparent. Slurring her words, she demands, "I'm getting curious why I'm outside my house and he's inside. Bring him out here and me inside. This is my house." The officer calmly responds that he will address this "in a minute," but Paul interrupts, opening her front door and marching inside where her then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen is being interviewed by another officer.
Inside, Paul confronts Mortensen, telling him wearily, "You're upset, I'm upset. Get out of my house." As they stand face-to-face near the kitchen, the officer expresses frustration at the interruption, but Paul ignores him, grabbing a glass for water. She then retrieves her cell phone and begins dialing, prompting the officer to remind her that he had asked her not to make calls.
When Paul questions if this is illegal, the officer confirms it is not. She then becomes tearful, calling her father and saying, "Dad, please come to my house. Dakota pushed me in my garage and the police are saying that I can't talk about it." The officer calmly corrects her, urging her to take deep breaths due to her apparent intoxication and to lower her voice to avoid waking her children.
Escalating Tensions and Accusations
Paul's emotional state fluctuates throughout the interaction. At one point, she asks the officer if he is married with children, claiming this information is relevant to how she feels. The officer dismisses this as irrelevant, stating, "My job is to help you calm down." As she fills her water glass, Paul disputes his assessment of her intoxication level, claiming she is only at "a two out of 10" and challenging him to test her with a breathalyzer, which she mispronounces as "blezaryzer" before correcting herself.
She adds that she had arranged for a "safe driver" to take her home from a girls' night out. Paul then warns that her father will soon arrive to witness the interaction, which the officer accepts, but she accuses him of having "no empathy" for her. Through sobs, she repeats that Mortensen pushed her in the garage, and when the officer explains he is there to help her calm down while waiting for the primary officer to finish with Mortensen, she accuses him of being on "his side."
Distress and Final Interactions
Paul's distress escalates as she claims her "hand is aching" but declines the officer's offer to have paramedics examine her. She asks if yelling is a crime, which the officer clarifies is not illegal, before crying, "I'm in so much pain!" When asked if she wants to speak to a crisis worker, she responds, "No, I just want him to go home."
She then approaches the sofa where one of her children is sleeping, apologizing and asking if she can say goodnight and go to bed, questioning if this is a crime. The officer informs her she must wait for the primary officer to finish interviewing Mortensen. Paul, having stopped crying, asks if she can use the bathroom, to which the officer inquires if she must do so immediately. She assures him it will take "two seconds," before closing the bathroom door, at which point the new video concludes.
Background and Legal Consequences
This incident occurred on February 17, 2023, at Paul's home in Herriman, Utah, following a domestic violence call. Previous footage obtained by the Daily Mail revealed that Paul admitted to throwing metal chairs at Mortensen, accidentally striking her five-year-old daughter Indy in the head. Initially arrested on misdemeanor charges, the case was upgraded to felonies after Mortensen provided cell phone video evidence, leading to charges of felony aggravated assault, reckless child abuse, and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
If convicted, Paul faces up to five years in state prison for each of the three felonies. She is next due in court on April 14. Paul, who gained fame on TikTok with over 4 million followers, shocked fans last summer by admitting her divorce from husband Tate was due to going too far during a "soft swinging" event. After splitting from Tate, she began a relationship with Mortensen, which is documented in the bodycam footage from her arrest.
