Hero’s hottie Hayden Panettiere’s father has been charged with misdemeanor battery and could be facing one year in jail. Alan Panettiere was arrested in August on a felony domestic violence for allegedly hitting Hayden’s mom, Lesley.

The two had been seen arguing early that night at a Hollywood charity event and the argument escalated to the point that police had to be called later in the evening. Much later in the evening…the cops were summoned to the Panettiere’s West Hollywood home at 3:15am.

Big daddy has a court date next month and if the judge convicts him he could get the maximum of one year in jail. Both Alan and Lesley have been downplaying the entire thing saying it was “all a big understanding”.

Although a police report claims Alan struck Lesley three times, the couple insist “nothing actually happened. “[We] love each other very much and want everyone to know that the matter was completely blown out of proportion,”

Sounds like a drunk fight to me. Geesh…folks can’t even have a simple old drunk fight these days with that pesky domestic battery law in effect now.