A New Mexico grand jury has indicted Timothy Busfield, the Emmy-winning actor known for “The West Wing” and “Thirtysomething,” for child sex abuse.
On Friday, prosecutors charged Busfield with four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child, the Bernalillo County district attorney’s office confirmed to The Times. Busfield attorney Stanton “Larry” Stein said in a statement that the indictment was expected and expressed concern about prosecutors proceeding with a case he claims is “fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial.”
“This prosecution appears driven by something other than the facts or the law,” Stein said. “Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court — where evidence matters — not behind closed doors.”
Dist. Atty. Sam Bregman said on social media that the actor-director’s case “is expected to move forward to trial” and will be prosecuted by the D.A. office’s special victims unit.
Last month, a New Mexico judge issued a warrant for Busfield’s arrest, citing two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and a single count of child abuse. An affidavit filed by New Mexico officials accuses Busfield, 68, of inappropriately touching two child actors, who are brothers, during his time as an actor, director and producer on the Fox crime drama “The Cleaning Lady.”
One child actor alleged Busfield first touched his “private areas” multiple times on set when he was 7 years old, according to the complaint. He said that Busfield touched him inappropriately again several times when he was 8. The affidavit also detailed a police interview with Busfield in which he suggested that the boys’ mother might have sought “revenge” on the director for “not bringing her kids back for the final season.”
Busfield turned himself in to law enforcement days after the warrant was issued and denied the “horrible” accusations. “I did not do anything to those little boys,” he said at the time of his surrender. The actor was jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque but was released on his own recognizance Jan. 20.
At the hearing to determine whether Busfield would be released pending trial, wife Melissa Gilbert could be seen crying and saying, “Thank you, God” after the judge’s decision. Attorney Stein said in Friday’s statement that the detention hearing “exposed fatal weaknesses in the State’s evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure.”
Following Busfield’s release from jail, “Little House on the Prairie” star Gilbert said on Instagram that “this season has reminded me, very clearly, how important it is to slow down, prioritize what truly matters, and allow ourselves moments of rest.”
“I’ll be easing back into things thoughtfully and with care — moving forward one step at a time,” she added. “More to come and so much gratitude always.”