Hayden Panettiere‘s boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, spent Valentine’s Day behind bars.
The Teton County Sheriff’s public information officer told E! News Hickerson was arrested in the early morning of Feb. 14 and was booked in Wyoming for alleged domestic battery.
Police did not share details of the arrest. However, TMZ , citing police, reported the couple got into a fight and that Hickerson hit her “with a closed fist on the right side of her face.”
According to the celebrity news outlet, the Teton County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a disturbance at a Jackson home. The caller allegedly told the police an intoxicated man was locked out of the private residence because he had punched his girlfriend in the face.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Hickerson was in the driveway upon the deputies’ arrival and claimed Panettiere was in the house “saying he beat the f–k out of me.” Per the outlet, citing police, Hickerson avoided answering questions about whether he punched the 30-year-old actress. However, he reportedly claimed he hired a private chef to be there so he “wouldn’t be accused of bulls–t.”
TMZ reported the police talked to the chef on the phone and were allegedly told he left after 1:00 AM. Although, per the outlet, he claimed he saw the couple arguing earlier in the evening.
According to the documents obtained by TMZ, the Nashville star told police she had been in the bedroom with Hickerson when he, as the outlet reported, “started throwing her around and punched her.” Police allegedly told TMZ Panettiere’s face was red and swollen and that she had a scrape and swelling on her left hand
E! News has not been able to verify the aforementioned documents. Police also did not identify Panettiere as the victim to E! News.
This wasn’t the first time Hickerson had been arrested. In 2019, a judge ordered Hickerson to stay away from Panettiere following his arrest for domestic violence. Hickerson pleaded not guilty to his charge of felony domestic violence. The case was later dismissed.
Panettiere and Hickerson have been dating since 2018.
E! News has reached out to Panettiere’s rep and Hickerson’s attorney for comment.
