Melissa Gilbert asks judge to keep her ‘kind husband’ Timothy Busfield ‘protected’ in prison after facing child sexual abuse charges

Melissa Gilbert continues to stand by her husband.

The 61-year-old Little House on the Prairie star expressed her support for her husband in a letter to the judge as Timothy Busfield faces charges of child sexual abuse.

A new filing containing the defendant’s response to the state’s motion for pretrial detention filed on January 16 included 75 letters of support for the actor. Many came from family, co-workers and long-time friends.

In Ms Gilbert’s letter, she first identified herself as Mr Busfield’s wife and explained that they met briefly in the 1980s before falling in love in 2012. “In truth, Tim Busfield is my lover, my rock, and my partner in business and life. He is my solace and my confidant. His joy, humor, and wit brighten my life. Tim is, simply put, the beating heart of our wild and wonderful extended family.”

“I can tell you and anyone else that I know Tim better than anyone else in my life, and he knows me just as well,” she continued. “Tim has the strongest moral compass of anyone I have ever known. He has always dedicated his spiritual self to serving others. He begins each day with kindness and compassion.”

She wrote that she has been approached by “multiple people” on “every set Tim has worked on” who say he is her “favorite director of all time.” She added, “In fact, people say that to me at restaurants, on the red carpet, at the grocery store. His former students tell me he was their favorite teacher of all time. I can’t tell you how warm my heart is over and over again to hear people from so many different walks of life, who have met my husband in one way or another, say that he is their favorite. He is my favorite.”

She said watching Busfield interact with her youngest son, Michael, was “one of the great joys of my life.”

“Michael was a teenager when Tim and I started dating, a full-fledged, angst-ridden teenager trying to find his place in the world,” she wrote. “Tim raised and guided Michael. He admonished, praised, loved, comforted, soothed, cared for, and provided for him physically and mentally. I cannot thank God enough for bringing this wonderful human being into our lives.”

She went on to say that Mr. Busfield’s former military training “reinforced what he values ​​most: honor, integrity, compassion, and care for his fellow man. Tim applies those principles to his commands. When he is told to do something, he does it thoroughly and with honor, integrity, care, and compassion.”

“This is the strangest letter I’ve ever had to write,” she admitted as she concluded her letter.

“I’m trying to draw a line between logic and all the emotions swirling inside me. I started writing this letter logically, but now my emotions have taken over. There’s nothing I can do about it,” she said. “I just want this extraordinary man to be okay. So I’ll end by asking my kind husband for his kindness. He’s my protector and I belong to him, but I can’t protect him right now. I think that’s what’s really breaking my heart more than anything. I’m counting on you to protect him in my place.”

Busfield turned himself in to police on Jan. 13 after the Albuquerque Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest for allegedly engaging in illegal sexual acts with two boys several days earlier.

He was charged on Jan. 13 with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse.

He made his first court appearance on January 14 and is currently being held without bail. He remains in custody pending a pretrial detention hearing on January 20th.

Additional charges of sexual abuse were raised against him in a pretrial detention motion filed on January 14 and obtained by PEOPLE. Colin Swift reported to law enforcement on January 13 that Busfield allegedly sexually abused Swift’s daughter “several years ago” in Sacramento, California.

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“During (Busfield’s) audition at the B Street Theater, a 16-year-old boy reported that (Busfield) kissed her, put his hand inside her pants, and touched her private parts,” the motion states.

Busfield “pleaded her family not to report her to law enforcement if she went to therapy,” Swift said, adding that “she is a therapist herself and believed that was the best course of action at the time.”

After the new motion was filed in the pretrial detention motion, Busfield’s civil attorney Larry Stein released a statement to PEOPLE. “This allegation has never been disputed or proven, and it was 25 years ago,” Stein said. “And there doesn’t seem to be any connection between these allegations about the woman from 25 years ago and the allegations about these boys.”

In a Jan. 9 warrant, the West Wing star is accused of engaging in illicit sexual acts with two boys, who are 11-year-old twins, whose identities have not been released.

Before turning himself in to authorities on January 13th, he captured himself in a video obtained by TMZ and maintained his innocence.

“Hello everyone, this is Tim,” the video began. “As most of you who are watching this know, I was ordered to come to Albuquerque and here I am. I got a call on a Friday night and had to get a lawyer. I got in my car on Saturday and drove 3,000 miles to Albuquerque. I’m going to confront these lies. They’re terrible lies.”

“They’re all lies and I didn’t do anything to those little kids. And I’m going to fight it. I’m going to fight it with a great team and I’ll be acquitted, I know it, because this is all so wrong and it’s all a lie.”

Gilbert stands by her husband, whom she married in 2012. On January 13, her attorney, Ame Van Eyden, released a statement on her behalf saying that Ms. Gilbert “will not speak publicly while the legal process is ongoing.”

“During this time, her focus is on supporting and caring for her extended family as they navigate this moment. Melissa will be there for and support her husband and will address the public at the appropriate time. We ask that their privacy be respected.”

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453 or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. Our hotline is available 24/7 in over 170 languages.