Author: alaskaadmin

Reading Time: 3 minutes

In the weeks that followed that first piece of dramatic Taylor Frankie Paul footage, the world has learned a lot about a deeply complex and upsetting situation.

She temporarily lost custody of her child. Less importantly, ABC shelved a full episode of The Bachelorette, Meghan Wants a Millionaire style.

After so much light has been shed on the abuse claims, Taylor will not face prosecution for alleged incidents earlier this year.

Now, Dakota Mortensen is making a public statement. And it’s an apology — of sorts.

‘I’ve taken a step back’

So late on the night of Sunday, April 19 that it was already Monday morning in most of the world, Dakota shared a message on his Instagram page.

“Over the past several weeks,” he began, “I’ve taken a step back and had time away from the chaos.”

Dakota wrote: “That space has been a breath of fresh air and has given me clarity.”

He claimed: “My focus now is where it should have been all along — on my son.”

Dakota continued: “And creating a stable, healthy environment for him moving forward.”

“I regret not stepping away from a difficult cycle sooner,” Dakota expressed.

“I’m not perfect, and I take accountability for my part,” he alleged. “I’m sincerely sorry to those I’ve hurt.”

Dakota continued: “At the same time, I don’t agree with how this situation has been portrayed publicly.”

According to him: “It does not reflect the full context of what occurred or the impact it has had on me and my son.”

Dakota wrote that he has “chosen to step away from the spotlight to focus on my family, my growth, and our healing, and that’s where my energy will remain.”

‘For now, my priority is … showing up as the best father I can be’

The reality TV personality added: “I’m closing an unhealthy chapter and moving forward with hope for better days ahead.”

He expressed: “I’m grateful for all of the encouragement and support I’ve received.”

Dakota continued: “And I’m committed to showing up in a way that reflects that.”

He wrote: “My intention, over time and when appropriate, is to use what I’ve learned in a way that supports others navigating similar situations.”

Dakota concluded: “For now, my priority is on showing up as the best father I can be for Ever.”

In case that last line caused confusion, Ever is the name of the 2-year-old son that he and Taylor Frankie Paul share.

The timing of his post seems like it’s not a coincidence. Authorities have announced that they will not be pursuing criminal charges against Taylor.

Even without ample seeds of doubt — like allegations of abuse and questions of Dakota’s motives during the media circus of recent months — domestic violence cases are difficult to prove.

Some believe that all of this ugliness in the public square played out because Dakota felt jealous of Taylor moving on, as the exes had repeatedly hooked up despite being “over.” The Bachelorette had clearly gotten under his skin.

If that’s true, perhaps he realized that this was more than his family could handle. Taylor clearly has some growing to do, though she may be off to a good start.

Dakota Mortensen Posts About Regret, Focusing on Parenthood After Authorities Drop … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

​The Hollywood Gossip

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Joseph Duggar will go in front of a judge in Panama City Beach, Florida today.

The 31-year-old former reality star will enter a plea pertaining to allegations that he molested a 9-year-old girl during a trip to Florida in 2020.

Joseph is currently out on $600,000 bail as he awaits trial. But while Joseph might be a free man at the moment, legal experts believe he’ll soon be joining his eldest brother, Joshua Duggar, in federal prison.

One fact of the case that might be bad news for Joe is that he allegedly admitted that his “intentions were not pure” during a recorded phone conversation with the alleged victim’s father.

“It is evidence of intent, the victim, and the timing of the alleged abuse,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Fox News this week.

“His lawyers will try to argue that it is too vague and attenuated and try to get it excluded on that basis. I don’t think they will be successful because the statement was made in the context of Duggar also admitting to inappropriate touching under a blanket,” Rahmani continued, adding:

“A judge is unlikely to separate the two statements, and this is why pretext calls like this can be so powerful if they lead to incriminating evidence.”

“During the vacation, the defendant asked the victim to sit on his lap, numerous times,” reads an affidavit obtained by Fox News.

“The victim would sit on the defendant’s lap. The defendant would cradle the victim with his arms. As the vacation continued, the defendant would ask the victim to sit on the couch beside the defendant. The defendant covered the parties with a blanket,” the affidavit continues.

“The victim stated the defendant’s hand was outside of her underwear when these incidents occurred.

“The victim stated this made her feel uncomfortable and confused. The victim stated the defendant eventually approached the victim and apologized for his actions. The incidents stopped occurring after the defendant apologized for his actions.”

“‘My intentions were not pure’ is the kind of statement prosecutors love because they can frame it as a confession without the defendant ever fully confessing,” criminal defense attorney Duncan Levin told Fox News.

“It gives them language they can put in front of a jury and say, in effect, he told you himself. But from a defense standpoint, that phrase is still frustratingly vague.”

Levin, who defended Harvey Weinstein at trial, added that while Joseph’s statement does not amount to a confession, it will make life more difficult for his defense team.

“It is not a clear admission to a criminal act. It could reflect shame, sinful thoughts or inappropriate intent, but criminal cases are supposed to turn on proof of conduct, not ambiguous language,” he said, adding:

“The defense strategy would be to argue that prosecutors are trying to turn a morally charged but indefinite statement into something far more specific than it actually is, and to insist that the state prove the charged conduct with concrete evidence rather than asking jurors to fill in the gaps.”

Joseph is expected to plead not guilty at his arraignment today. We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.

Joseph Duggar Confessed ‘Impure Intention’ With 9-Year-Old Girl: Report was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

​The Hollywood Gossip