Actor Timothy Busfield told detective allegations of child sex abuse were ‘disgusting,’ audio shows
Authorities in New Mexico released actor’s voice Timothy Bus Zone He described the allegations as “disgusting”, telling a detective that he had never done anything sexual with two young boys on the set of a show he directed.
Sound, Acquired by NBC affiliate KOB of AlbuquerqueIt comes from a November phone call between Busfield and a detective in Albuquerque who said he was investigating a tip from a child about an alleged incident on the set of the movie “Cleaning Lady.”
A Bernalillo County grand jury indicted Busfield, 68, in February on four counts of criminal sexual conduct with a child. The contact alleges occurred multiple times from 2022 to 2024, according to the indictment.
Busfield and his attorneys denied the allegations, calling them a revenge plot hatched by the children’s parents who were upset after they lost their roles in “Cleaning Lady.”
A judge ordered Busfield was released on his own recognizance While awaiting trial in January. Busfield’s attorney, Stanton “Larry” Stein, said he was “pleased” the audio recording was released and said it was “completely exculpatory.”
“If you did something wrong, you don’t talk to the police,” Stein said. “He knows he didn’t do anything wrong.”
In the phone call captured on the detective’s body camera, Busfield says he will “most likely” pick up or tickle the children. He said he wanted a “fun environment” and added that their father would tell them to “go hug Uncle Tim.”
“They didn’t really want it, and it was never a serious hug,” she said, adding that the interaction was awkward for her and the children.
“I would treat them like a coach,” Busfield said. “That was my job.”
At one point during the conversation, Busfield’s wife, actor Melissa Gilbert, described herself as a “former child actor” and said it was standard practice to be friendly with child actors to build trust and help them break out on the big screen.
During the meeting, Busfield also mentioned an independent investigation that Warner Bros. commissioned to review the allegations. The investigator for the law firm that conducted the investigation said he found no evidence to support allegations that Busfield engaged in inappropriate behavior or was left alone with children on the set of the movie “Cleaning Lady.”
Busfield directed several episodes of the Fox series, which was shot in Albuquerque and ended last year after four seasons.
Bernalillo County Deputy District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch said the allegations were specific, detailed and part of a “pattern of behavior” that also included allegations of inappropriate touching and sexual assault against Busfield by other women. and a young man.
These allegations did not result in criminal charges. The judge presiding over the child sexual abuse case at the hearing in January found that there was no evidence of a pattern of behavior. Busfield’s attorney, Larry Stein, called some of the past allegations “unproven” and “completely unrelated” to the New Mexico case.
This article was first published on: NBCNews.com
