Hayden Panettiere Says She's 'Always Good' After Boyfriend's Domestic Battery Charge
Hayden Panettiere appears to be assuring fans she’s okay following Brian Hickerson‘s recent domestic battery charge.
Over the weekend, the Nashville star, 30, tweeted then deleted a photo of her 5-year-old daughter Kaya Evdokia holding hands with boxer Wladimir Klitschko, Panettiere’s ex with whom she shares the child. “Best father ever,” she wrote along with the snapshot, according to E! News.
A Twitter user confused Klitschko, 43, for Panettiere’s recent on-off boyfriend Hickerson — who was arrested on Valentine’s Day following a domestic dispute in Wyoming — replying to Panettiere’s since-deleted post, “Before or after he beat you.”
Panettiere wrote back: “Wrong guy. Klitschko’s r legends. That’s my CHAMP.”
When another concerned fan commented asking if the actress was okay after the headline-making charges against Hickerson, Panettiere replied with reassurances.
“Always good 😊,” she responded.
Panettiere and Hickerson began dating after reports circulated that she and then-fiancé Klitschko had split in August 2018.
In November 2019, Panettiere and Hickerson were photographed together side-by-side in an airport. A source confirmed to PEOPLE at the time that the pair were back together following a previous split.
PEOPLE previously reported that Panettiere’s relationship with Hickerson drew concern from those close to the Golden Globe–nominated actress, especially after they were reportedly involved in a drunken altercation with his father in October 2018, prompting a visit from police. (No arrests were made.)
Last year, Hickerson was arrested on a domestic violence charge and released on bail in May. According to the felony complaint obtained by PEOPLE at the time, prosecutors had alleged Hickerson “willfully inflicted corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition upon Hayden P.”
Hickerson was charged with one count of felony domestic violence on May 23 and pleaded not guilty, a spokesperson for the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.
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In July 2019, Hickerson reportedly appeared in court as a Los Angeles superior judge listened to the testimony from the police officer who responded to the domestic violence call on May 2. During the hearing, the judge denied the motion to dismiss criminal charges against Hickerson and declined to consider a lesser misdemeanor charge.
While Hickerson was facing up to four years in prison if convicted, his case was dismissed at the end of September.
“The case against Brian Hickerson was dismissed without prejudice today,” a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told PEOPLE at the time. “Our office was unable to proceed because we could not secure a material witness. The protective order also was dismissed.”
Hickerson is reportedly due to appear in court on March 12 for the most recent charges.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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