Former West Wing star Timothy Busfield indicted on four counts of sexual contact with a child by grand jury

Timothy Busfield was indicted by a New Mexico grand jury on four counts of sexual intercourse with a child.

Busfield, 68, is accused of touching two children on the set of The Cleaning Lady while filming in Albuquerque between November 2022 and spring 2024.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by KRQE, one of the alleged victims told a child forensic interviewer that Busfield touched her “private parts” on set when she was seven years old.

The boy claimed the abuse occurred five or six times between sets.

She claimed Busfield attacked her again when she was eight and that this happened three or four times.

The boy’s twin brother told authorities he was also attracted to Busfield, but did not specify where he was and did not say anything because he did not want to get in trouble, the complaint said.

The charges come less than a month after Busfield was arrested on allegations of child abuse and criminal sexual contact with a minor.

Busfield denied the allegations. Their lawyers also argued that the allegations were part of a revenge plan hatched by the children’s parents after they lost their roles in the series.

Timothy Busfield and wife Melissa Gilbert at the Monte Carlo Television Festival in 2023

The charges were brought against the star by a grand jury in Bernalillo County, the district attorney announced Friday.

The prosecutor said the case will be prosecuted by the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office’s Special Victims Unit.

Prosecutor Sam Bregman vowed to ‘do everything possible to protect children and achieve justice for victims’.

Bregman’s office added that Busfield’s case is expected to proceed to trial.

Last month, while working as a director on the set of The Cleaning Lady, Busfield was arrested on two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse.

He was taken to jail and surrendered after a warrant was issued for his arrest in New Mexico.

According to the criminal complaint, one of the children disclosed that Busfield touched her inappropriately during a therapy session. These records were seized by the police during the investigation.

In a video he shared before surrendering, Busfield said the allegations were lies.

‘I will confront these lies. They are terrible. “These are all lies and I didn’t do anything to those little kids and I will fight it,” the actor said.

But Deputy District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch said during Busfield’s Jan. 20 court appearance that the evidence of abuse against him was “strong and specific.”

Brandenburg-Koch also said witnesses expressed fear of possible retaliation and professional harm.

“The children’s claims are supported by medical findings and their therapists,” the ADA said. ‘Their explanations were specific and not exaggerated.’

But Busfield’s lawyers pointed out that the children initially said in interviews with police that the actor had not touched them inappropriately.

The defense later accused the boys’ parents of training their children in incriminating statements after the boys lost their lucrative roles in the program.

Busfield’s defense team called only one witness – Alan Caudillo, the cinematographer on The Cleaning Lady – to testify that children on set were never left alone with individuals and that it was the parents who encouraged cuddling with adults on set.

Busfield has submitted letters confirming his character, and his lawyers say he passed an independent polygraph test.

Legal experts say New Mexico is one of the few states that allows polygraph evidence in criminal cases, but the judge has the final say on whether it can be used. There are strict requirements for admission to the court.

Busfield, who is married to actress Melissa Gilbert, is known for his roles in The West Wing, Field of Dreams and Thirtysomething.

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