For the second time in a year, Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend has been arrested for domestic violence.

This post deals with domestic violence and might be triggering for some readers.

Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was arrested on Valentine’s Day for domestic violence.

TMZ confirmed the news on Wednesday, adding he allegedly punched the actress in the face.

When police arrived at the couple’s home in Wyoming, Hickerson was reportedly in the driveway and told them his girlfriend was in the house “saying he beat the f*** out of me,” according to court documents obtained by the publication.

It is further reported that he would not answer when asked if he physically assaulted her. He was arrested around 2:30am local time and it is understood he has since been released on a $5,000 bond.

Hickerson, also an actor, was charged with domestic battery and a second offence for interfering with a police officer after allegedly refusing to identify himself.

This is not the first time Hickerson has been arrested for domestic violence in relation to Hayden Panattiere.

In fact, it is the second time in 12 months.

Sidenote: Here are the hidden women and violence numbers. Post continues after video. 

In May 2019, Brian Hickerson was arrested over an alleged incident of domestic violence at the couple’s home in Los Angeles.

The 29-year-old spent the night behind bars, before being released on bail after handing over $50,000. A few weeks later, he was charged with one count of felony domestic violence which he pleaded not guilty to.

Sources close to the couple told TMZ they were out drinking in Hollywood, and when they returned home, there was an altercation that turned physical.

The Sun reports police noticed marks and redness on Panettiere when they arrived at the house.

According to PEOPLE the prosecutors alleged Hickerson “wilfully inflicted corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition”. He reportedly faced court in July where a judge heard from a police officer who responded to the call. During the hearing the judge denied the motion to dismiss criminal charges and also refused to consider a lesser misdemeanour charge.

If convicted he was facing up to four years in prison – but by September the case was dismissed.

"Our office was unable to proceed because we could not secure a material witness," PEOPLE reported the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office saying.

In November, Hayden Panettiere resumed her relationship with Brian Hickerson a little over a month after his domestic violence charge was dismissed.

PEOPLE confirmed the news, with their source adding that her family "still don't approve of the relationship".

"They are not fans of Brian and it's clear that he has issues of his own, not to mention anger issues which is obviously a big one," the source said.

The pair began dating in August 2017 after meeting through mutual friends.

It was the same month the 29-year-old split from her former partner, Wladimir Kitschko, after nine years together. They share a daughter, Kaya, 4, who lives with her dad in his native Ukraine. 

“It is totally out of control and she has to get over this guy,” a source close to the actresses' family told PEOPLE in May last year.

“Her friends and family have been worried about her for quite a while, and things seem to have gotten worse,” the source adds. “She needs to do some soul-searching. For whatever reason, she continues this relationship, but it has done nothing but take her down lower. It’s a sad situation.”

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— Hayden Panettiere (@haydenpanettier) June 3, 2017

In response to their rekindled romance Panettiere's lawyer told PEOPLE, "Hayden is a strong, intelligent woman who is capable of making her own decisions".

What do we know about Brian Hickerson?

Hickerson is a real estate agent turned aspiring actor, originally from South Carolina.

He has one credit to his name, M.F.A in 2017, in which he portrayed a character called Officer Williams.

He has a private Instagram, from which he made headlines for an Insta story he posted in which he admitted that while Panettiere is sleeping, he uses her credit card to buy things he wants.

“When my girlfriend is sleeping, I hijack the credit card and buy cool shit like that,” Hickerson said , pointing to a basketball hoop.

“Basketball time!” he said, before shooting the ball and missing the shot.

Radar Online revealed that Hickerson has left a trail of unpaid bills in his wake. In fact, the Bank of Travelers Rest filed a complaint against Hickerson claiming he owes more than $13,000.

In a 2013 credit card application, he claimed he was self employed as a Director of Operations at Hickerson Property with an annual gross income of USD $48,000.

In October, TMZ broke a story about Hickerson getting into an altercation with his dad, David, at a home in South Carolina.

According to the police report, police responded to a call for assault and battery and when they showed up Panettiere reportedly answered the door in a "drunk and frantic state".

Apparently Hickerson was chasing his father through the house with a Gatorade bottle in his hand. David was left with severe bruising and bleeding.

Panettiere's mother has told Radar Online she is "in shock" about the latest alleged incident.

“I knew he had an incident with his father and he has a tendency to do that [physical violence]. Never had I thought it would be against Hayden or I would have addressed it sooner. I have addressed many things,” she said.

Relationship wise, Panettiere is not the only famous person Hickerson has been linked with. He also dated Instagram model Baskin Champion, who was Miss Alabama Teen USA 2014.

After just six months of dating, Panettiere was head over heels with her new boyfriend telling US Weekly, “I’ve lived a big life, I’ve met a lot of people. I learn something new from [Brian] every day, and that’s something that not many people can provide me with."

“I love being low key, being mellow, having experiences, having conversations, really in-depth conversations."

When she was asked if she sees herself marrying Hickerson, Panettiere responded, “I think so. I hope so.”

Hayden's past relationship.

Panettiere met her former fiancé Ukrainian boxing champion, Wladimir Klitschko, at a mutual friend's book launch in 2009 when she was just 19-years-old.

They dated for nine years, but were on and off during that time. They split in 2013, before getting engaged in October of that year.

Their daughter Kaya was born in December 2014. Panettiere has been very open about her battle with postnatal depression that saw her have two stints in rehab.

Panettiere and Klitschko, 42, split for good in 2018.

Kaya is being raised by her dad predominantly in his native Ukraine, some 10,000km from her mother.

According to a ‘source’ who spoke to US Weekly, this means the actress reportedly “never gets to see her”.

The parenting arrangement, the source said, has the Nashville star heartbroken, as she jets over to Europe as much as possible, in an effort to visit the little girl since the couple’s split last year.

“She knows the child being with her is not best [for Kaya right now]. It’s a sad situation," the source said.

“It’s heartbreaking and challenging."

Hickerson has weighed in on his girlfriend's parenting situation telling Access in February: "Hayden is actually on family vacation right now with her daughter and the Champ, so don’t believe everything you read. She’s a great mum".

If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. It doesn’t matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home.