A New Mexico grand jury indicted Timothy Busfield, the Emmy-winning actor known for “The West Wing” and “Thirtysomething,” of child sexual abuse.
On Friday, prosecutors charged Busfield with four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child, the Bernalillo County district attorney's office confirmed to The Times. Busfield's attorney, Stanton “Larry” Stein, said in a statement that the indictment was expected and expressed concern that prosecutors are proceeding with a case that he says is “fundamentally wrong and cannot be proven at trial.”
“This accusation seems driven by more than just the facts or the law,” Stein said. “Mr Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to proving the State's case in an open court, where evidence matters, not behind closed doors.”
Lawyer Dist. 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 special victims unit of the district attorney's office.
Last month, a New Mexico judge issued an arrest warrant for Busfield, citing two counts of criminal sexual contact with 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.”
A child actor alleged that Busfield first touched his “private areas” several times on set when he was 7 years old, according to the complaint. He said Busfield again touched him inappropriately several times when he was 8 years old. The affidavit also details a police interview with Busfield in which he suggested the children's mother may have sought “revenge” on the director for “not bringing her children back for the final season.”
Busfield surrendered to authorities days after the warrant was issued and denied the “horrible” allegations. “I didn't do anything to those little ones,” he said at the time of his delivery. The actor was incarcerated at the Albuquerque Metropolitan Detention Center, but was released on parole on January 20.
At the hearing to determine whether Busfield would be released pending trial, his 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 remedy.”
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 really matters, and allow ourselves moments of rest.”
“I will return to dealing with things thoughtfully and carefully, moving forward step by step,” he added. “More to come and lots of gratitude always.”
