Hayden Panettiere and boyfriend Brian Hickerson are back in the news – this time, Hickerson faces accusations of punching the actress in the face.
The incident allegedly occurred on Valentine’s Day when the Teton County Sheriff was called at about 2 a.m., regarding a disturbance at their home in Jackson, Wyoming.
What happened to Hayden Panettiere?
According to TMZ, the caller noted that an intoxicated male had been locked out of the house after punching his girlfriend in the face.
When police arrived on the scene, Hickerson was in the driveway, and Panettiere was still inside the house, saying, “he beat the f*** out of me.”
Deputies questioned Hickerson about the claims, but he refused to answer whether or not he had punched the actress.
He claimed to have hired a private chef to stay with them so that he “wouldn’t be accused of bulls**t.” The chef in question was not at the house when the police arrived.
However, he told them via phone that he witnessed the couple arguing before he left, sometime after 1 a.m.
Panettiere gives her side of the story
Panettiere’s account of events says she was in the bedroom with Hickerson when he started to throw her around and punch her.
The cops noticed Panettiere had a scrape and swelling evident on her left hand, which they believed to be caused by Hickerson’s watch during the altercation. They also noted that her face was swollen and red.
This was enough evidence to slap Hickerson with two charges; one for domestic battery and another charge of interfering with a police officer, since he refused to identify himself while speaking to authorities.
Hickerson has a history of violence on his records.
In 2018, police were called regarding a physical altercation involving Hickerson and his father. Panettiere was also present during this incident, which seemed to involve alcohol.
In May 2019, Panettiere and Hickerson also had a physical altercation in LA, and after police noticed marks on Panettiere’s body, Hickerson was arrested for felony domestic violence.
The complaint noted that he “willfully inflicted corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition upon Hayden Panettiere.”
He was then charged with felony domestic violence but pleaded not guilty. The case was later dismissed.
In 2019, news reports claimed that Panettiere’s family and friends were worried and have warned her about Hickerson, after the domestic incident in May, but to no avail.
Panettiere and Hickerson have been dating for over a year after the actress split from fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, in 2018.
The actress and her ex-fiancé, share a five-year-old daughter who lives with Wladimir in his home country of Ukraine.