Actor Timothy Busfield charged with sexually abusing boys on TV series set
Actor Timothy Busfield made his first court appearance after filing a criminal complaint alleging he sexually assaulted two boys on the set of a New Mexico TV series, prosecutors said.
The Emmy-winning actor, who starred in Thirtysomething and The West Wing, was taken into custody in Albuquerque on one count of child abuse and two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, which police allege occurred on the set of Fox’s crime drama The Cleaning Lady.
Busfield, 68, has vehemently denied the allegations through his lawyer.
“The allegations made against Tim are completely false and we will fight this to the bitter end until the truth comes out,” said attorney Stanton “Larry” Stein.
Stein said the actor, also known for his roles in the baseball movie Field of Dreams and the comedy thriller Revenge of the Nerds, was charged as an act of revenge after the boys were written off the series, angering their mother.
At a news conference Thursday, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman said Busfield made his first court appearance Wednesday and the judge ordered him to remain in custody.
The case is currently being transferred to district court, and a hearing is set for Jan. 20 to determine whether Busfield should be released on bail pending trial.
“Our priority is to protect the rights of everyone involved,” Bregman said at the press conference, urging anyone with information to contact law enforcement.
In the warrant for Busfield’s arrest, prosecutors say the boys’ parents allege Busfield groomed and sexually assaulted the teenagers while working on the set of The Cleaning Lady, which he both directed and executive produced. It airs on Fox in the USA.
In an affidavit supporting the arrest warrant, authorities alleged the boys referred to Busfield as “Uncle Tim” and claimed he would “tickle their tummies and legs.” Both boys told authorities they had been touched inappropriately for years, the arrest affidavit said.
One of the boys claimed Busfield touched his private parts, according to court documents. The boy told authorities that the alleged inappropriate touching began when he was 7 years old and that he was afraid to speak out because he was afraid Busfield would “get mad at him.”
Documents state the boy has been having nightmares since the alleged encounters and has trouble wetting his bed. In court documents, authorities say he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety.
Before turning himself in, Busfield said in a video provided to TMZ that he was contacted Friday night about hiring an attorney. He drove 2,000 miles (3,200 km) to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to surrender to authorities the next day.
“These are all lies and I didn’t do anything to those little kids and I’m going to fight it. I’m going to fight with a great team and I know I’m going to be cleared, I know it is because it’s all so wrong and it’s all lies,” he said in the video.
His lawyer says the case stems from a desire for revenge. The arrest affidavit said Busfield told authorities that the children’s mother had threatened to take revenge when others were replaced on the show.
“As reflected in the criminal complaint, after her son was suspended from the series, the boy’s mother vowed to ‘get her revenge on Timothy Busfield.’ What happened next appears to be a calculated effort to build a case based on hostility, not facts, despite the lack of any evidence of wrongdoing in previous investigations,” Stein said.
Stein added that Warner Bros.’ investigation into the allegations was closed after finding “no supporting evidence that Mr. Busfield engaged in inappropriate behavior or was left alone with children.”
Court documents show another accusation surfaced that Busfield kissed and groped a 16-year-old girl after authorities obtained an arrest warrant for him.
Prosecutors noted the new allegation in a motion asking the judge to block Busfield’s immediate release from jail, claiming the actor had “a documented history of sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and grooming behavior.”
In that court document, prosecutors said the girl’s father came forward Tuesday to allege the teen was sexually abused “several years ago” by Busfield in California at the B-Street Theater in Sacramento, which the actor co-founded.
The court document said the father told authorities that the encounter took place while the girl was auditioning at the theater and that the actor allegedly kissed and touched her sexually.
Court documents say the father claimed the actor “begged the family not to contact law enforcement” and agreed to go to therapy.
Busfield’s lawyer told the BBC that the actor denies all the allegations and “maintains them to be completely false”. When asked about the emergence of additional charges, Stein said Busfield volunteered to take a lie detector test and passed the test. The lawyer did not provide further details about the testing.
Busfield had previously been accused of sexual assault by two women in the 1990s and in 2012, which prosecutors pointed to in court documents.
Warner Bros. Television and Fox, producers of Cleaning Lady, said they were aware of the allegations against Busfield and would work with law enforcement. They told the Los Angeles Times that they are prioritizing the health and safety of their cast and crew.
A spokesman for Busfield’s wife, Melissa Gilbert, who starred in Little House on the Prairie, told the BBC she would not comment publicly and disputed fake comments circulating online purportedly from her.
“He is honoring Tim’s lawyers’ request not to speak publicly while the legal process is ongoing,” said his publicist, Ame Van Iden.
“Their focus at this time is to support and care for their very large family as they navigate this moment. Melissa stands by and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time. We ask that their privacy be respected.”
