Ruh-roh … not so happy news for the Panettiere family. It turns out that prosecutors have decided to charge Alan Panettiere, father of Heroes star Hayden Panettiere, with misdemeanor battery after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife Lesley Vogel in their West Hollywood, CA home on August 11. According to police, Mr. Panettiere was taken into custody after he allegedly struck his wife “one or two times” in the face with a closed fist and will now face charges as a result:

Hayden Panettiere’s father, Alan, has been formally charged with misdemeanor battery after he allegedly assaulted his wife last month, the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday. Panettiere, 49, faces arraignment on Oct. 11. If convicted, he faces up to a year in county jail. Alan Panettiere was arrested Aug. 11 at the family’s West Hollywood home after he “struck his wife (Lesley Vogel) one or two times on the cheek causing bruising with a closed fist,” a sheriff’s spokesman said … Another sheriff’s official confirmed that alcohol was involved. Shortly after he was released on bail, Alan Panettiere told Extra the incident was a “misunderstanding” and that “nothing actually happened.” And daughter Hayden, 19, downplayed the incident, saying, “It was blown way out of proportion by a sheriff who wanted his 15 minutes of fame.”

I have to say, I really love Hayden but I am really concerned at how this incident has been downplayed almost as soon as it happened. The very day after Alan Panettiere was released on bail back in August, he and wife Lesley were photographed walking their dogs together in their neighborhood as if nothing were wrong at all. I find it hard to believe that the LA Country prosecutors are just looking to prosecute just for “15 minutes of fame”. Domestic assault should never be tolerated, should never be swept under the rug. Obvs, the county prosecutors think this case is worth prosecuting. In the end, I hope that justice can be served — if no assault took place, then the truth should win out. If, tho, an assault did take place against Lesley Vogel, I sincerely hope that the proper punishment is handed out. This is just a very sad situation all the way around.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

HMM … I guess all is forgiven between the Panettiere parents as these new photos of the couple apparently show them happily walking their dogs together as if nothing was amiss in their marriage. On Sunday night, Alan Panettiere was arrested for domestic battery after his wife Lesley Vogel alleged that he struck her after the couple attended a charity benefit for the Whaleman Foundation which was hosted by their daughter Hayden Panettiere … after Alan was released on bail Monday morning, the couple were snapped enjoying a lovely afternoon stroll with their dogs together Monday afternoon:

Hayden Panettiere’s father, Alan, was released from custody on $50,000 bail Monday afternoon after being arrested for allegedly striking the actress’s mother. Panettiere, 49, was arrested at 3:15 a.m. at the family’s West Hollywood home and spent about 10 hours in Los Angeles County sheriff’s custody. He was booked on a charge of felony domestic violence following a fight with wife Lesley Vogel, 52, deputies said … A sheriff’s spokesman says that Alan struck Lesley one or two times on the cheek causing bruising. Another sheriff’s official says that alcohol was involved in the incident. An observer at the party tells PEOPLE: “When they were both about to leave, they had a heated argument outside the restaurant. They were doing a good amount of yelling.”

Extra TV have a statement from the couple which quotes them as saying the incident was a “big misunderstanding”:

Hayden Panettiere parents, Skip and Lesley, talk first to “Extra’s” Mario Lopez about Skip’s arrest on suspicion of felony spousal abuse on Monday, August 11th. The police report indicates Skip struck Lesley three times, but the Panettieres tell Lopez, “It was all a big misunderstanding” and they now claim “nothing actually happened.” They go on to say, “Lesley wasn’t even aware that Skip had been arrested.” Lopez reports that Hayden found out about her dad’s arrest when he called her from jail. The Panettieres tell “Extra” that “They love each other very much and want everyone to know that the matter was completely blown out of proportion.” Skip was released from jail on $50,000 bail.

You know, family matters of this nature can be extremely complicated and because we will never know exactly what happened it can be a moot point to even debate the issue (I mean, we can debate away but it would be conjecture upon conjecture … basically the police say one thing, the couple now says another). I will say, tho, that physical violence against anyone SHOULD NEVER BE TOLERATED. I suppose we are to assume that things got out of hand and all is forgiven, altho I would have a bit of a hard time sweeping a matter like this under the rug if I were somehow involved. In Hollywood, tho, high profile folks (like the parents of one of Young Hollywood’s hottest stars) tend to sweep a lot of things under the rug in order to keep up appearances. For the sake of everyone involved (especially Hayden’s mom), I hope that everything has been resolved to everyone’s true satisfaction and it’s not just for show … tho, again, I cannot understand fully how someone can condone an act of physical violence like this at all. In the end, if the victim chooses not to press charges, there ain’t much that can be done. Ugh … it’s just an ugly matter altogether.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source, Source]