Hayden Panettiere breaks arrest silence

Aug 26, 2008, 4:00 GMT

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Hayden Panettiere has broken her silence about her dad's arrest for spousal assault, saying it was "blown way out of proportion."

Alan Panettiere - who was arrested and charged with domestic violence on August 10 - allegedly struck his wife Lesley, Hayden's mother, "two or three times" in the face during an argument, but Hayden claims it was nothing serious.

Hayden, 19, said: "It was blown way out of proportion by a sheriff who wanted his 15 minutes of fame. My family is wonderful and so very happy, we're all great."

At the time of the arrest, Steve Whitmore, a spokesperson for the West Hollywood Sheriff's Department, said: "Anytime there is a domestic allegation, the victim is offered an emergency protection order, basically a restraining order. She declined it. She also declined medical treatment. The victim did have visible injuries and we also believe alcohol was involved. That will be part of the investigation."

Alan and Lesley put on a united front after he was released from custody, 10 hours after his arrest. The argument between them was said to have started after they had been at a charity benefit at Eva Longoria's Los Angeles restaurant Beso.

The pair reportedly argued because Alan was upset that Lesley had been getting too close to another man at the party.