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Timothy Busfield Accused of Sexual Abuse Again While He is Dealing with Legal Troubles
After a theater company in California conducted an internal probe 25 years ago, it was revealed that the actor Timothy Busfield has not been associated with the company since then. The investigation was initiated after the allegations that he had abused a 16-year-old girl at the theater.
On January 13, Busfield, who is 68, turned himself in to Albuquerque police in the state of New Mexico and was subsequently charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor as well as one count of child abuse. The charges relate to the alleged abuse of the 11-year-old twins during the year 2022 when he was a director on the second season of FOX’s The Cleaning Lady.
Moreover, a motion for pretrial detention that was submitted on January 14 disclosed a different accusation. Colin Swift, the father of a victim who is also claiming, said that Busfield had sexually abused his daughter many years ago in Sacramento, California.
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New Allegations Against Timothy Busfield Also Include Abuse at B Street Theatre
One of the allegations in a pretrial detention motion is that a 16-year-old told her story that during an audition with Timothy Busfield at B Street Theatre, he kissed her and inappropriately touched her.
The motion further reveals that Busfield, who is widely recognized for his role on The West Wing and is the husband of actress Melissa Gilbert, allegedly begged the family not to take the matter to the police if he was allowed to go to therapy. The youngster’s father, Colin Swift, who is also a therapist, thought it was the right thing to do at that time.
B Street Theatre reacted to the situation by confirming that they had received a report implicating Busfield in an incident that is claimed to have taken place around 25 years ago, as per the statement given to PEOPLE on the 14th of January.
B Street Theatre Responds to Allegations Against Timothy Busfield
B Street Theatre revealed that they had hired a lawyer and they also internally looked into the matter regarding the allegations against Timothy Busfield from 25 years ago. The theatre furthermore emphasized that Busfield has not been associated with the company in any capacity since 2001.
“We do not have him in our present operations, among the staff, leadership, or programming,” the message went on to say. Although Busfield is on the list of emeritus board members, he has not been involved in the governance and board meetings since 2001.
As there is a separate investigation going on the matter of different allegations in New Mexico, B Street Theatre would not give out any more details.
The theater marked its dedication to the mission of offering “a safe, creative, and inclusive environment for artists, students, families, and audiences” and sending out a message of compassion to those who have been abused or exploited.
Lawyer of Timothy Busfield Responds to B Street Theatre Allegations After Legal Action
Lawyer of Timothy Busfield, Larry Stein, referring to the 25-year-old allegations from B Street Theatre, said that the accusations were “never challenged” or “proved” and added that there is no visible connection between those claims and the case that is currently in New Mexico.
The present charges result in the accusations of illicit sexual behavior of two children, allegedly starting one of them being only 7 years old. Busfield handed himself over to the police on January 13 and was present in a Bernalillo County court the next day. He is now held without bond, awaiting a pretrial detention hearing, and the deadline for a preliminary hearing is fixed for January 29. The prosecutors want to keep him locked up until the date of his trial.
Busfield in a video message shared just before the police surrender kept up his denial of committing the crime. “I am going to challenge these lies. They are terrible,” he said. He elaborated that he drove 2,000 miles to Albuquerque to see the charges after he got the call on Friday night.”
Timothy Busfield Vows to Continue Fight Over Allegations Amid Investigation
Actor Timothy Busfield vehemently rejected the accusations against him, “They’re all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys and I’m gonna fight it. I’m gonna fight it with a great team, and I’m gonna be exonerated, I know I am, because this is all so wrong and all lies.”
Busfield also expressed his desire for a quick end to the matter: “So hang in there and hopefully I’m out real soon and back to work. I love everybody for supporting me, thank you.”
On November 1, 2024, the police got involved as a result of an anonymous report of suspected child sexual abuse by a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital. The parents of the alleged victims cooperating with the police told them that their children were underage when they encountered Busfield on the set of The Cleaning Lady, a Warner Bros. Television production.
Warner Bros. and Melissa Gilbert Address Allegations from Timothy Busfield
In their statement to PEOPLE, Warner Bros. Television responded to the safety concerns raised by the victims, particularly emphasizing their concern for the safety of minors: “The health and safety of our cast and crew, especially the safety of minors on our productions, is always our main concern. We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and have systems in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate, and when needed, take appropriate action. [We] have been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement.”
Melissa Gilbert’s representative released a statement as well, indicating that she is currently ‘respecting Tim’s lawyers’ request not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds.’”
‘The statement went on to say: ‘During this time, her main concern is to be there and take care of their very large family as they go through this moment. Melissa is with and supports her husband and will give a public statement when the time is right. We kindly ask for their privacy.’
