NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Nashville man being filmed for the TV show Wife Swap was charged with striking his 13-year-old daughter in the face after a production crew sought treatment for the girl.
Yanni Panagiotakis, 38, was charged with domestic assault. Production on the episode featuring his family was shut down.
After Panagiotakis drove the girl and her 9-year-old brother to a friend's home Tuesday, members of the TV crew noticed injuries on the girl's nose and cheek. She allegedly told them her father hit her several times because she was not wearing a coat.
The crew took the girl and her brother to a hospital, where she was treated and released, and called the mother, who was in California filming the show. The father did not go with them to the hospital.
The state Department of Children's Services was called and the children were taken to a hotel to wait for their mother.
Panagiotakis was arrested Tuesday night at his home. He was free on $1,000 bond Wednesday.
In the weekly ABC show, wives swap households to experience different living situations.
"The well-being of all participants in Wife Swap is a top priority," ABC said in a statement. "At first realization the daughter of the Nashville family needed medical attention, producers immediately sought treatment."
AP
