Court documents also showed that a victim’s father told law enforcement on Jan. 13 his daughter was sexually abused by Busfield several years ago.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Actor and director Timothy Busfield was accused of sexually abusing a teenager at Sacramento’s B Street Theatre “several years ago.”
This new detail comes as Busfield is currently due in court for an initial appearance on Wednesday, a day after turning himself in to authorities to face charges of child sex abuse stemming from allegations that he inappropriately touched a minor on the set of a TV series he was directing in New Mexico.
Albuquerque police issued a warrant for his arrest last week on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. A criminal complaint alleges the acts occurred on the set of the series “The Cleaning Lady,” which was filmed in Albuquerque. Busfield has vowed to fight the charges. In a video shared before turning himself in, Busfield called the allegations lies.
Additional court documents point to what prosecutors described as a documented pattern of sexual misconduct, abuse of authority and grooming behavior by Busfield over two decades.
Part of the alleged “documented pattern” was shared in court documents about Busfield’s history. It included two accusations of sexual assault, one in 1994 and another around 2012. The one in 1994 was settled privately. According to court documents, prosecutors passed on the 2012 allegations due to slim evidence.
Court documents also showed that a victim’s father told law enforcement on Jan. 13 his daughter was sexually abused by Busfield several years ago at Sacramento’s B Street Theatre. The 16-year-old reported that Busfield kissed her and put his hands down her pants and touched “her privates.” According to court documents, this happened while she was doing an audition for Busfield.
Busfield reportedly asked the family to not report the incident if he got therapy, and the father thought, at the time, that was the best thing to do, the documents show.
Prosecutors are seeking to keep Busfield in custody pending trial. They filed a motion early Wednesday detailing their reasons for the request. They also said witnesses have expressed fear regarding retaliation and professional harm.
The motion states that research and experience show that offenders are uniquely positioned to evade accountability and circumvent safeguards designed to protect children when they wield authority, status or influence.
“In light of the defendant’s demonstrated disregard for boundaries, authority and compliance, no condition or combination of conditions of release can reasonably protect the victims or the community,” the motion states.
It will be up to a judge to determine whether to grant the request. A detention hearing has yet to be scheduled.
Prosecutors also took issue with Busfield disseminating a video to the media outlet TMZ on Tuesday, suggesting he was prioritizing “personal narrative control and public relations” over compliance with the court process.
According to the criminal complaint, an investigator with the police department says the child reported that he was 7 years old when Busfield touched him multiple times on private areas over his clothing. Busfield allegedly touched him on another occasion when he was 8, the complaint said.
The complaint also says the child was reportedly afraid to tell anyone because Busfield was the director and he feared he would get mad at him.
The boy’s twin brother told authorities he also was touched by Busfield but did not specify where. He said he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to get in trouble.
The mother of the twins reported to Child Protective Services that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said.
In an interview with police last fall, Busfield denied the allegations and suggested that the boys’ mother was seeking revenge for her children being replaced on the series. The argument was echoed by Busfield’s attorney on Tuesday.
The investigation began in November 2024 after a call from a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. The boys’ parents had gone there at the recommendation of a law firm, the complaint said.
Busfield’s attorney said an independent investigation by Warner Bros. was unable to corroborate allegations of inappropriate behavior by Busfield. But prosecutors in their filing argued that the investigator failed to talk to key witnesses.
What we know about the charges facing actor Timothy Busfield
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