Timothy Busfield has been formally charged in a shocking child sexual abuse case.
The embattled actor, 68, was indicted by a New Mexico grand jury on Friday on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child, the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release to Page Six.
“As with any criminal proceeding, Mr. Busfield is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law,” said Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman.
“This case will proceed through the judicial process and proceed to trial,” he added.
Bregman also said that the child sexual abuse case against Busfield will be prosecuted by the Special Victims Unit of the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, and no further information will be released at this time.
Busfield’s civil attorney, Larry Stein, said in a statement to Page Six on Friday that the “Stripes” actor’s charges were “not unexpected.”
“As they say, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich,” he told us. “What is extremely concerning is that the district attorney is choosing to proceed with a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial.”
“The detention hearing exposed a critical weakness in the state’s evidence, a gap that no amount of prosecution decisions can close,” Stein added. “This prosecution appears to be driven by something other than facts and law.”
Stein also said that Busfield “will fight these charges every step of the way” and that Busfield “looks forward to examining the state’s case in open court, where the evidence will weigh more than behind closed doors.”
This latest development comes less than a month after the “Thirty Something” actor was arrested on Jan. 13 on charges of child abuse and criminal sexual contact with a minor.
Mr. Busfield denies the shocking charges against him, but he was originally charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse for allegedly inappropriately touching two child actors on the Fox series “Cleaning Women.”
An investigation by New Mexico authorities that began in November 2024 revealed that the alleged abuse began in 2022 when the two young actors, twin boys, were 7 years old.
When questioned by police about the incident, the West Wing alum reportedly admitted that it was “very likely” that he had had physical contact with the twin boys.
Shortly after Mr. Busfield surrendered to police at his home in upstate New York on January 13, Mr. Busfield’s attorney released a video in which the “Field of Dreams” star denied the charges against him.
Ms Busfield insisted she had “not done anything to those little boys” before calling the accusations “all lies”.
“I’m going to fight, I’m going to fight with a great team, and I’m going to be exonerated,” he said in the video. “I know it is because this is all wrong and it’s all a lie.”
Judge David Murphy ordered the “Revenge of the Nerds” star released from custody on his own recognizance pending trial, a week after Busfield turned himself in to authorities.
Busfield’s wife of 13 years, Melissa Gilbert, has been supportive of her embattled husband amid the accusations against him.
After Ms. Busfield surrendered to authorities, a representative for the Little House on the Prairie alum said, “During this time, her focus is on supporting and caring for her extended family as they get through this moment.”
“Melissa stands by and supports her husband and will address the nation at the appropriate time,” the rep added. “We ask that their privacy be respected.”
Representatives for Gilbert did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Busfield’s indictment.
Meanwhile, several of Busfield’s former co-stars also voiced their support in the wake of the child sex accusations against him.
Ken Olin, Patricia Wettig, and Peter Houghton (all of whom co-starred with Busfield in Thirty Something from 1987 to 1991) wrote letters testifying to the actor’s character.
Innovative Artists, the entertainment agency that represented Busfield, withdrew the “Quiz Show” actor in response to the accusations against Busfield.
Busfield will also be replaced by David Zayas in an upcoming episode of “Law & Order: SVU,” and will also be edited out of the upcoming Amazon MGM romantic comedy “You Deserve Each Other.”
