Judge Releases Actor Timothy Busfield From Jail Pending Trial on Child Sex Charges
Written by admin on January 21, 2026
A New Mexico judge on Tuesday released actor and director Timothy Busfield on his own recognizance to await trial on charges of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse.
State district court Judge David Murphy did not bar Busfield from traveling but did bar him from contact with witnesses or any minors and or possessing any weapons, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
As CrimeOnline has reported, Busfield is charged with touching twin brothers inappropriately on the set of “The Cleaning Lady,” which Busfield directed, between 2022 and 2024, a criminal complaint stated.
Prosecutors wanted the Emmy winning actor to remain behind bars without bond, arguing that he “poses an ongoing and serious danger to children and the community.”
“I did not do anything to those little boys,” Busfield said in a video recorded before he turned himself in to Albuquerque police last week. “I’m going to fight it. I’m going to fight it with a great team, and I’m going to be exonerated. I know I am because this is all so wrong and all lies.”
Meanwhile, Busfield’s civil lawyer, Larry Stein, told TMZ that a “revenge factor” is possible, after the children’s mother allegedly became upset upon learning they wouldn’t return to the show’s final season.
Prosecutors also said in their court filing last week that an allegation had surfaced involving a 16-year-old girl who auditioned for Busfield’s B Street Theatre in Sacramento “several years ago.” The filing claimed that Busfield “kissed her, put his hands down her pants and touched her privates.”
“The defendant begged the family to not report to law enforcement if he received therapy,” the filing read.
Busfield and his brother Buck Busfield founded the theater as Theatre for Children in 1986. Six years later, it broadened its offerings and changed its name to B Street Theatre. Although Timothy Busfield left in 2001, his brother remained as producing artistic director and manager until he retired in 2022.
In 1996, U.S. District Judge James Ideman ordered Busfield to pay $150,000 to a Minneapolis law firm after the actor lost a defamation suit claiming that the firm made up claims that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl while filming “Little Big League” in 1993, Deseret News reported.
In truth, Busfield had settled a lawsuit with the girl, who was an extra on the film, for an undisclosed amount.
Busfield is best known for his work on “The West Wing” and “thirtysomething,” for which he won a best supporting actor Emmy in 1991.
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[Featured image: Timothy Busfield/Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office]
