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HERRIMAN — A popular Utah social media influencer has been arrested and accused of causing injury to her child during a domestic violence incident, police said.
Taylor Frankie Paul, 28, of Herriman, was arrested Feb. 17 for investigation of assault, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
Paul's TikTok account — which has 4 million followers — describes her as a mother of two. Many of her videos show her promoting beauty and household products, and talking about her life and family.
About 11 p.m., a neighbor reported hearing screaming and yelling coming from inside a home, and reported seeing a "female walking back and forth between the house and a white truck parked outside on the street," according to a police booking affidavit.
The officer who responded reported hearing yelling from inside the home, and said Paul answered the door with a man. Paul and the man live together, according to police.
"Both started talking to me at the doorway. When I inquired about the circumstances and (the man) started to explain, I observed (Paul) lunge at (the man) and began pushing/hitting him," the officer wrote.
Officers separated the man and woman. Police say Paul was the "primary aggressor" of the argument, and that she had hit the man "multiple times and threw several household objects at him, including metal chairs and a wooden child playset."
The man complained of elbow pain from the fight. His truck was also damaged from Paul throwing a child playset, according to the affidavit.
Police say Paul's 5-year-old daughter was on the living room couch during the argument.
After Paul was booked into Salt Lake County Jail, Herriman police said in a news release on Friday they received "additional video evidence" in the case and referred it to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office for "for screening of felony assault charges" against Paul. Formal charges had not been filed as of Friday.
"This evidence also suggests that during the incident, Ms. Paul's minor child was injured by an action of Ms. Paul. Subsequently, our investigators are also screening a misdemeanor charge of reckless child abuse with the district attorney's office," according to the release.
Herriman police noted that Paul's "status as a social media influencer has no bearing" on the investigation.
"All allegations of domestic violence are investigated thoroughly and in accordance with state law and established criminal justice best practices to protect victims and ensure accountability," according to the statement.
National websites have called Paul a "Mormon TikTok influencer who famously exposed her 'soft swinging' behavior" last year.
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
