Actor Timothy Busfield, known for his roles in TV series 'The West Wing', 'Field of Dreams' and 'Thirtysomething', turned himself in to Albuquerque police on Tuesday to face child sex abuse charges stemming from allegations that he inappropriately touched two minors on the set of a TV series he was directing.
Busfield's apprehension comes after authorities issued a warrant for his arrest on Friday on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. A criminal complaint alleges that the acts occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, during filming of the series 'The Cleaning Lady' in Albuquerque.
According to the complaint, Busfield allegedly touched one of the minors, aged seven at the time, three or four times on private areas over his clothing, and also touched him five or six times on another occasion when he was eight. The boy reportedly feared telling anyone about the abuse due to fear of reprisal from Busfield.
Busfield's attorney has denied all allegations, stating that the boys' mother was seeking revenge for her children being replaced on the series, and that Busfield likely would have picked up and tickled the boys in a playful environment. However, a video obtained by TMZ shows Busfield arriving in Albuquerque after driving 2,000 miles, saying he's going to confront the allegations, stating they are "horrible" and "all lies".
Busfield was booked into metropolitan detention center after a massive search effort involving the U.S. Marshals Service, with leads in New York and other cities before his arrival. The mother of the twins, who are identified only by their initials in court records, reported the abuse to Child Protective Services.
Busfield's wife, Melissa Gilbert, has indicated that she won't speak publicly about the allegations at this time, saying her focus is on supporting and caring for their large family.
Busfield's apprehension comes after authorities issued a warrant for his arrest on Friday on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. A criminal complaint alleges that the acts occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, during filming of the series 'The Cleaning Lady' in Albuquerque.
According to the complaint, Busfield allegedly touched one of the minors, aged seven at the time, three or four times on private areas over his clothing, and also touched him five or six times on another occasion when he was eight. The boy reportedly feared telling anyone about the abuse due to fear of reprisal from Busfield.
Busfield's attorney has denied all allegations, stating that the boys' mother was seeking revenge for her children being replaced on the series, and that Busfield likely would have picked up and tickled the boys in a playful environment. However, a video obtained by TMZ shows Busfield arriving in Albuquerque after driving 2,000 miles, saying he's going to confront the allegations, stating they are "horrible" and "all lies".
Busfield was booked into metropolitan detention center after a massive search effort involving the U.S. Marshals Service, with leads in New York and other cities before his arrival. The mother of the twins, who are identified only by their initials in court records, reported the abuse to Child Protective Services.
Busfield's wife, Melissa Gilbert, has indicated that she won't speak publicly about the allegations at this time, saying her focus is on supporting and caring for their large family.
Can you believe this? I mean, Timothy Busfield, a guy who's been in so many iconic shows like The West Wing and Thirtysomething... and now he's being accused of doing the most horrific thing to two little kids on set. 
It's like, what even is going through your head when you're in power like that? And his lawyer saying it's all about revenge from the mom... come on! That's not how it works at all. 
The fact that he had to drive 2,000 miles just to face these allegations shows how out of touch he must be with reality. I feel so bad for the kids who were affected by him... and Melissa Gilbert is just staying tight-lipped about it right now, which I get, but still...
. cant wait 2 c what happens next 
but I think we gotta take a step back & look at the bigger picture 
. This news is super sad & disturbing, no doubt about it 
. But what's really got me thinking is how his family is handling all this? His wife Melissa Gilbert has been super open about her love for their kids, and that's something to be celebrated 
. And Busfield's wife herself said she won't speak out right now, which shows some serious maturity & self-awareness 
. We gotta focus on supporting the victims & their families during this tough time 
. Let's not forget that we're all human beings deserving of kindness & respect 
.
. and honestly its crazy how his wife is keeping mum, she seems like a super strong woman 
.
! He used his power and influence to take advantage of them when they were just kids 
. The fact that he thought he could get away with it by just touching them inappropriately over their clothes 
and then denying any wrongdoing after the fact is just disgusting 
.
. It's not okay for anyone to use their position of power to exploit and harm children 
. I'm not buying the revenge narrative from his lawyer at all 
.
. This is a total breakdown of trust and respect for our institutions and the people in power 
.
. The investigation is ongoing so I hope justice will be served for these kids 
.
The fact that he allegedly picked up the kids and tickled them is literally disgusting 