Emmy Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield made his first court docket look on Wednesday, a day after turning himself in to authorities to face prices of kid intercourse abuse stemming from allegations that he inappropriately touched a minor on the set of a TV sequence he was directing in New Mexico.
Busfield was ordered held with out bond. He appeared remotely by way of a video hyperlink from jail. Whether or not he stays in jail would be the topic of a detention listening to scheduled for Tuesday.
Albuquerque police issued a warrant for Busfield’s arrest last week on two counts of legal sexual contact of a minor and one rely of kid abuse. A legal grievance alleges the acts occurred on the set of the sequence “The Cleansing Girl,” which was filmed in Albuquerque.
“Tim Busfield denies the allegations within the legal grievance and maintains they’re fully false,” lawyer Larry Stein mentioned in an announcement to CBS Information. “As a voluntary step, he submitted to an impartial polygraph examination concerning these allegations and handed.”
Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Middle
The 68-year-old actor, who’s married to actor Melissa Gilbert and is understood for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Area of Goals” and “Thirtysomething,” has vowed to battle the fees. In a video shared earlier than turning himself in, Busfield known as the allegations lies.
Throughout Wednesday’s temporary court docket look, Busfield stood silent and expressionless, wearing orange jail garments, whereas a protection lawyer spoke on his behalf.
Prosecutors are looking for to maintain Busfield in custody pending trial, citing a “historical past of alleged sexual misconduct.” They filed a movement early Wednesday detailing their causes for the request, pointing to what they described as a documented sample of sexual misconduct, abuse of authority and grooming conduct by Busfield over 20 years. In addition they mentioned witnesses have expressed concern concerning retaliation {and professional} hurt.
One other allegation was reported to legislation enforcement the identical day Busfield turned himself in, Albuquerque Deputy District Lawyer Savannah Brandenburg-Koch instructed the decide Wednesday in a court docket submitting. A father of a then-16-year-old lady alleged Busfield kissed and inappropriately touched his daughter, who he mentioned was auditioning for a task at B Avenue Theatre, a company Busfield and his brother based in Sacramento, California. The incident occurred a number of years in the past, based on the court docket doc.
Busfield allegedly “begged the household to not report back to legislation enforcement if he acquired remedy,” Brandenburg-Koch mentioned within the movement. The lady’s father, who’s a therapist himself, mentioned he thought it was the most effective factor to do on the time, based on the prosecutor.
In an announcement to CBS Sacramento, B Avenue Theatre mentioned that although Busfield is its founder, he has not had an energetic function in its operations in any capability since 2001. The theater declined to remark additional on Busfield because of the ongoing investigation.
The movement filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courtroom looking for to maintain Busfield in custody additionally states that analysis and expertise present that offenders are uniquely positioned to evade accountability and circumvent safeguards designed to guard kids once they wield authority, standing or affect.
“In gentle of the defendant’s demonstrated disregard for boundaries, authority and compliance, no situation or mixture of situations of launch can moderately shield the victims or the group,” the movement states.
Will probably be as much as a decide to find out whether or not to grant the request. A detention listening to has but to be scheduled.
Prosecutors additionally took subject with Busfield disseminating a video to the media outlet TMZ on Tuesday, suggesting he was prioritizing “private narrative management and public relations” over compliance with the court docket course of.
In line with the legal grievance, an investigator with the police division says the kid reported that he was 7 years outdated when Busfield allegedly touched him a number of occasions on non-public areas over his clothes. Busfield allegedly touched him on one other event when he was 8, the grievance mentioned.
The grievance additionally says the kid was reportedly afraid to inform anybody as a result of Busfield was the director and he feared he would get mad at him.
The boy’s twin brother instructed authorities he was additionally touched by Busfield however didn’t specify the place. He mentioned he did not say something as a result of he did not wish to get in hassle.
The mom of the twins reported to Little one Protecting Providers that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the grievance mentioned.
In an interview with police final fall, Busfield denied the allegations and prompt that the boys’ mom was looking for revenge for her kids being changed on the sequence. The argument was echoed by Busfield’s lawyer on Tuesday.
The investigation started in November 2024 after a name from a health care provider on the College of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. The boys’ mother and father had gone there on the advice of a legislation agency, the grievance mentioned.
Busfield’s lawyer mentioned an impartial investigation by Warner Bros. was unable to corroborate allegations of inappropriate conduct by Busfield. However prosecutors of their submitting argued that the investigator failed to speak to key witnesses.
A publicist for Gilbert mentioned she is “not making public statements right now.”
“Any purported ‘statements’ circulating on-line — together with AI-generated deepfakes of her ‘breaking her silence’ — shouldn’t be handled as coming from her,” publicist Ame Van Iden mentioned in an announcement, including, “Melissa stands with and helps her husband and can deal with the general public at an acceptable time. We ask that their privateness be revered.”
Modern Artists, a Hollywood company, additionally confirmed to CBS Information Thursday that it had dropped Busfield from its consumer checklist.
