Timothy Busfield turned himself in to police Friday after a warrant was issued accusing him of sexual abuse of a minor.
Busfield, who has appeared on “Thirty Something,” “The West Wing” and “Field of Dreams,” is facing accusations that he touched a 7-year-old boy while directing an episode of the Fox show “Cleaning Women.”
“Timothy Busfield has turned himself in to the Metro Detention Center,” an Albuquerque Police Department spokesperson said in a statement. “He will be arrested pursuant to the warrant.”
Busfield’s attorney, Stanton “Larry” Stein, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that Busfield is “innocent and determined to clear his name.”
He said Busfield traveled across the country and voluntarily turned himself in to authorities in New Mexico to face the charges.
Timothy Busfield’s arrest booking mug shot
Bernalillo County
“The allegations being made against Tim are completely false and we will fight to the bitter end until the truth prevails,” Stein said.
Police have been investigating the case since late 2024 after receiving a report from the child’s doctor. The boy later told investigators that Busfield had touched his “private parts” at the scene of the shooting, and that the incident recurred when he was 8 years old, according to a police affidavit.
The boy and his twin brother were actors on the show. The twin brother also reported that Busfield sometimes touched his body during filming, but did not claim that the touching involved his private parts.
Busfield was interviewed by police in November and said he had no recollection of touching the boys.
“I don’t remember if that happened,” he said, according to the affidavit. “I don’t remember tickling the boys overtly, but it’s not unusual for me.”
Ms. Busfield also said she had heard that the boys’ mother wanted “revenge” because the boys were not selected for the show’s final season. He reported hearing about it from lead actress Elodie Yung, who refused to be interviewed by police.
Stein said his client had been the subject of a “calculated effort to frame the case driven by hostility rather than facts, even though a preliminary investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing.”
Albuquerque police detectives said in an affidavit that Warner Bros. Television, which produced the show, made the case difficult to investigate. The studio insisted that interviews with other minors in the case be arranged through its lawyers, and refused to turn over its internal investigation into Bassfield until three months after police obtained the warrant.
The studio issued a statement regarding the incident on Tuesday, but did not directly respond to the police allegations.
“The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our top priority, especially the safety of minors who appear in our productions,” a studio spokesperson said. “We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and have processes in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate and take appropriate action. We are aware of the current charges against Mr. Busfield and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement in a timely manner.”
Mr. Stein also released a statement from Christina McGovern, an outside attorney hired by Warner Bros. to investigate anonymous complaints filed with SAG-AFTRA.
“We conducted a thorough, independent investigation into all allegations of which the studio was aware at the time,” McGovern said in a statement. “Warner Bros. has given me complete discretion regarding my investigation. Based on the nature of the allegations and all of the evidence collected, including the testimony of multiple witnesses, we have found no supporting evidence that Mr. Busfield engaged in any inappropriate conduct or was alone with the twins on set.”
Busfield’s wife, Melissa Gilbert, also issued a statement through a spokesperson. Gilbert served as president of the Screen Actors Guild, the predecessor of SAG-AFTRA, from 2001 to 2005.
“Melissa Gilbert has not made any public statements at this time,” a spokesperson said. “The alleged ‘statements’ circulating online (including the AI-generated deepfake that ‘broke her silence’) should not be treated as coming from her. She respects Tim’s lawyers’ request not to speak publicly while the legal process proceeds.” During this time, she is focused on supporting and caring for her extended family as they navigate this moment. Melissa is standing by and supporting her husband and will address the public at the appropriate time. We ask that their privacy be respected. ”
Stein is a civil attorney at Bassfield. Busfield is represented in criminal court by Christopher A. Dodd and Amber Feyerberg of Feyerberg Dodd LLC in Albuquerque.
Jail records show Busfield is being held in the facility’s psychiatric acute care unit.
