Court documents say the victim was 16 at the time and the alleged abuse happened at B Street Theatre.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Actor and director Timothy Busfield is facing a new accusation as he remains jailed in New Mexico on child sex abuse charges.
Court documents show the family of another victim has come forward, accusing Busfield of sexually abusing their daughter in Sacramento when she was 16 years old. The victim’s father reported the allegation to law enforcement Tuesday, the same day Busfield turned himself in on separate charges in New Mexico.
The alleged abuse in Sacramento is said to have happened several years ago at the B Street Theatre in downtown Sacramento, where the victim was auditioning. According to court documents, the victim reported that Busfield kissed her and touched her inappropriately.
Those filings also say that Busfield begged the family not to report the incident to law enforcement and promised to seek therapy. At the time, the family believed that was the best course of action, according to the documents.
The new allegation surfaced as Busfield appeared before a judge Wednesday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he is charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse involving two child actors. A judge ordered him to remain in custody.
Busfield denied the allegations.
“I’m going to confront these lies. They’re horrible. They’re all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys,” Busfield said.
Busfield’s attorney told ABC News that his client denies all allegations and passed a polygraph test.
Sacramento-based attorney Dale Gomes, who is not connected to the case, said older allegations can present challenges for investigators.
“The investigation would commence,” Gomes said. “And then if the investigation rose to the level of warranting criminal charges, then the DA’s office would file criminal charges.”
Gomes added that corroborating claims can become more difficult as time passes.
“They’re always looking for every means to corroborate an accusation, whether it’s a fresh accusation or one that’s very, very old,” he said. “The older it gets, the harder it is oftentimes to corroborate it.”
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office says it has not received a referral on this matter. Sacramento police said they are not aware of any report made to the department regarding allegations involving Busfield.
The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office is expected to provide an update on the case Thursday.
The Sacramento B Street Theatre provided the following comment:
B Street Theatre is aware of a report concerning Timothy Busfield regarding an incident alleged to have occurred at B Street Theatre approximately 25 years ago.
B Street Theatre retained legal counsel at the time to conduct an internal investigation, and Mr. Busfield has not had any role in the organization since 2001. He is not involved in our current operations, staff, leadership, or programming. Although he is listed as an emeritus board member, he has not participated in theatre governance or attended a board meeting since that time.
Because this matter is now part of an ongoing investigation related to a separate alleged incident in New Mexico, we are unable to provide further comment at this time.
As an organization that has served Sacramento and the greater region for decades, our mission remains to provide a safe, creative, and inclusive environment for artists, students, families, and audiences. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by abuse or exploitation in any form.
What we know about the charges facing actor Timothy Busfield
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