Timothy Busfield enters plea on child sex abuse charges
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Timothy Busfield pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of child sexual abuse.
Busfield entered his plea on Feb. 11, according to New Mexico court records viewed by Fox News Digital. That same day, he waived his right to a hearing and other pretrial proceedings.
A witness list was presented by the prosecution on February 13. The next hearing in the case, a conference, is scheduled for March 10.
The 68-year-old star of “ThirtySomething” surrendered local authorities He was arrested on January 13 on child sexual abuse charges. At the time of his arrest, he was being held without bail on two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse.
TIMOTHY BUSFIELD ALLEGEDLY ACCEPTED OF CHILD GENDER ABUSE IN NEW MEXICO
Timothy Busfield was indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on four counts of sexual penetration of a child. (AJ Skuy for Fox News Digital)
Busfield’s attorney, Larry Stein, insisted in a statement shared with Fox News Digital after the indictment that the case against his client “could not be proven at trial.”
“The indictment was not unexpected. As said, the grand jury will indict the ham sandwich,” Stein said.
“What is deeply troubling is that the District Attorney chose to pursue a case that was fundamentally unsound and could not be proven at trial. The detainer hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the state’s evidence; gaps that no charging decision could heal.”
TIMOTHY BUSFIELD’S DEFENSE BLAMES ‘STAGE PARENTS’ WITH A HISTORY OF FRAUD FOR ALLEGED CHILD GENDER ABUSE
He added: “This prosecution appears to be driven by something other than the facts or the law. Mr Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court, where evidence matters, rather than behind closed doors.”
Busfield denied the allegations made against him. (Eric Liebowitz)
Last month, authorities issued an arrest warrant for Busfield amid allegations of misconduct while he was working as a director on the set of the series. “Charwoman.”
Busfield was released on January 20. “You are authorized to be released on your own recognizance, with conditions that you will appear at all future court appearances,” Judge Murphy said. “You didn’t break any laws.”
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Busfield was also ordered not to discuss the case with any witnesses and not to have contact with children under 18.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by Fox News Digital, two 11-year-old twins claim that the director, who they were told to call Uncle Tim, touched them inappropriately on the set of the movie “Cleaning Lady.”
Melissa Gilbert held her hands to her face and cried after the judge ordered her husband Timothy Busfield to be released from custody. (YouTube)
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The police investigation into the allegations against Busfield began on November 1, 2024, after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital alerted officers to a case of alleged sexual abuse.
Busfield was initially charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor, two counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under 13, and one count of child abuse.
Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman stated that under New Mexico law, any criminal sexual contact carries a sentence of up to six years in prison, and child abuse carries a sentence of up to three years.
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