Actor held without bond in New Mexico on child abuse charges stemming from twin brothers’ complaint
With allegations of prior sexual misconduct against him continuing to mount, Timothy Busfield received an expression of support from his wife and fellow actor, Melissa Gilbert – as he was also ordered held without bond in connection with on-set child abuse charges in New Mexico.
A statement that a representative for Gilbert, known best for her work on Little House on the Prairie, shared with media outlets said she “supports her husband” and was keeping “her focus … on supporting and caring for their … family, as they navigate this moment”.
Gilbert’s statement in part also requested privacy, saying she intended to honor a request from Busfield’s attorneys to not “speak publicly while the legal process unfolds”.
Actor Timothy Busfield surrenders to face child sexual abuse charges in New Mexico
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Those remarks circulated as a judge presiding over an initial court appearance for Busfield on Wednesday had him held without bond until at least a hearing tentatively scheduled for 20 January. Prosecutors in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Busfield was charged, have asked that the Emmy winner be held in custody until his trial, though it is possible that he could be conditionally released on bond.
A sworn police statement summarizing the accusations against Busfield, 68, said they involve two 11-year-old twin brothers with whom Busfield collaborated on the set of The Cleaning Lady, a TV series he directed and acted in.
Identified by the initials SL and VL, the boys allege that Busfield touched them inappropriately, according to police. Police in Albuquerque – where much of The Cleaning Lady was filmed – obtained an warrant to arrest Busfield on 9 January on two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one of child abuse.
He turned himself over to police to be jailed on Tuesday, but he provided a video statement to the entertainment outlet TMZ in which he vociferously denied the charges.
“They’re all lies,” Busfield said in the video. “I did not do anything to those little boys, and I’m going to fight it.”
Despite his profession of innocence, Albuquerque prosecutors and police have cited what they portray as a pattern of sexual misconduct amid his work.
Court filings after Busfield’s arrest recounted that a man came forward on Tuesday and accused the actor of sexually abusing his daughter while she auditioned at Sacramento’s B Street Theatre, co-founded by Busfield. The documents, as reported by the Sacramento news outlet KCRA, said the matter concluded with Busfield going to therapy and the girl’s family agreeing not to take the matter to police.
The B Street Theatre issued a statement to media outlets which said Busfield withdrew from being involved at the organization after “legal counsel … [conducted] an internal investigation” into that 2001 episode. The theater’s statement said it could not elaborate because of the criminal case in New Mexico.
Court documents also mentioned two other allegations against Busfield that previously appeared in the sworn police statement preceding his recent arrest.
In 1994, a 17-year-old extra on the movie Little Big League claimed Busfield assaulted her after serving her alcohol. Busfield – one of Little Big League’s stars – countersued for extortion and settled privately but was ordered to pay $150,000 in costs after he unsuccessfully argued that the allegations against him had been fabricated.
Separately, in 2012, a 28-year-old woman alleged Busfield fondled her at a Los Angeles movie theater. Busfield asserted it was consensual, and there was neither a criminal case nor civil litigation brought.
The Cleaning Lady’s four-season run on Fox ended in 2025. It was produced by Warner Bros, which has said it conducted its own investigation into Busfield but could not corroborate the allegations against him.
Busfield’s acting credits include Revenge of the Nerds, Field of Dreams, The West Wing and Thirtysomething. His performance on Thirtysomething earned him an 1991 Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series.
Gilbert, 61, and Busfield have been married since 2013. She apparently deactivated her Instagram account as of Sunday. And her lifestyle brand, Modern Prairie, canceled a virtual question-and-answer session scheduled for Friday, with a statement reported by People saying that the decision was driven by Gilbert’s need for “privacy and space”.
One industry peer offering her moral support was actor Glenn Scarpelli, who wrote on Thursday on Instagram: “Loving my Ol’ Friend Melissa Gilbert right now. No commentary, just love… That is all.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting
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