In a video clip released by TMZ, Dakota Mortensen can be heard making an unexpected request following the 2023 arrest of the mother of his son, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul.
Paul was arrested when a domestic violence incident between her and Mortensen led law enforcement to be called to their home.
Video of the events leading up to Paul’s arrest was recently released, shocking the public and leading to the cancellation of Paul’s anticipated season of The Bachelorette. The video showed Paul yelling and throwing metal chairs at Mortensen while in the presence of her young daughter.
In body cam footage captured following the arrest, Mortensen appears confused and overwhelmed by what just occurred.
"She's struggling," Mortensen says to a police officer. "She's going through a lot. I can't even tell you any of the stuff that just happened. I think my finger's broken, dude."
Mortensen later asks whether the police can arrest him in place of Paul.
"Why can't it be me? Can I go?" he asks, emphasizing that Paul has "been through so much."
The officer tells him that this is not possible, considering that Paul “was the primary aggressor of everything."
The officer goes on to explain the complexity of the situation, especially with all of the emotions at hand and the fact that children are involved.
"That's kind of just how it's been, too, with her," Mortensen replied.
The release of the video of the altercation between Mortensen and Paul has led to much public attention and controversy. Many believe that Paul should not have ever been cast as the lead of The Bachelorette in the first place because the information surrounding her arrest was already public knowledge.
In the midst of Paul’s ongoing legal woes, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has also paused filming.
