Taylor Frankie Paul Celebrates Probation End With Suspicious AI Courthouse Photos
Three years after her arrest, Taylor Frankie Paul has completed her probation. In honor of the moment, Paul posted a series of images of herself at a courthouse. A number of these pictures appear to have been generated by artificial intelligence. Paul herself appeared to confirm this in the comments.
Taylor Frankie Paul’s three-year probation recently ended
In 2023, Paul was arrested following an incident of domestic violence involving her former boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. Officers arrested Paul after she threw metal bar stools at Mortensen while her daughter was in the room. After she completed her three-year probation, a judge changed Paul’s aggravated assault felony charge to a Class A misdemeanor.
“Three years probation complete,” she wrote on Instagram. “All my PO’s said it was one of the longest probations they had seen for first time offense. Back then I wasn’t even aware of what DV was. Unfortunately many will experience it as many already have.”
She then wrote about domestic violence. Both she and Mortensen have made allegations of violence against one another.
“DV is a sneaky cycle to get stuck in because by the time you realize what actually is happening you’re already stuck in it,” she said. “I don’t care if you see me as the villain or victim.”
She then shouted out the people who supported her through her period of probation.
“This all surfacing the way it viciously and vindictively did, has been hell on earth and if I didn’t have the support I have I don’t think I would have made it through,” she wrote. “However those same people not only get to see they failed to destroy me, but they freed me. You can see who’s educated from the not… this has been by the textbook for millions to watch.”
Taylor Frankie Paul posted what appeared to be AI photos after her probation ended
In her post, Paul included four images of herself at a courthouse. One appears to be a real photograph of her. The other three appear to be artificial intelligence, though. A number of commenters pointed this out.
“The ai is rage bait at this point,” one person wrote.
“What’s with the AI pics?” someone else asked.
In response to this commenter, Paul wrote, “I plead the fifth.”
Paul has a history of posting AI-generated pictures of herself on social media. Several days before this post, she shared an AI-generated image of herself in a Taco Bell drive-thru.
She is currently the subject of a DCFS investigation
While the end of her probation is a win for Paul, she still has legal hurdles to navigate. She and Mortensen are involved in a custody battle. Utah’s division of Child and Family Services also recently filed a petition asking a court to find that Paul’s three children are “abused, neglected, or dependent.”
In a filing obtained by People, DCFS shared concerns about Paul’s behavior, including a time when she stormed out of the house while agents were present. She also became “escalated and dysregulated” on another occasion.
“The mother was unwilling to take accountability for her role in the domestic violence incident and continued to blame Mr. Mortensen for his role in the incident,” the report said. “The mother did not see how any of the concerns are impacting her children and was focused solely on how things are impacting her.”
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
