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New claim marks third allegation against Busfield in the past week
Carsen Holaday in New York Wednesday 14 January 2026 22:25 GMT- Bookmark
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CloseTimothy Busfield Turns Himself In, Denies Child Sex Abuse Charges...
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Another person has come forward with sexual abuse allegations against actor Timothy Busfield, who remains in jail after turning himself in on multiple child sexual abuse charges.
The West Wing star, 68, surrendered to Albuquerque police Tuesday, four days after an arrest warrant charged him with two counts of criminal sexual contact and child abuse in connection with alleged incidents that occurred while working on the set of Fox series The Cleaning Lady. The actor, who is married to Melissa Gilbert, declared in a video before his arrest, “I did not do anything to those little boys.”
Busfield’s lawyer, Larry Stein, said in a statement shared with The Independent: “Tim Busfield denies the allegations in the criminal complaint and maintains they are completely false. As a voluntary step, he submitted to an independent polygraph examination regarding those allegations and passed.”
Hours after he turned himself in to police, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bergman and Deputy DA Savannah Brandenburg-Koch filed paperwork Wednesday morning to keep Busfield behind bars while he awaits trial, saying that “no conditions of release will reasonably protect the safety of any other person or the community.” To emphasize the prosecutors’ concerns, the pretrial detention motion brought to light claims alleging that Busfield groped a 16-year-old girl.
According to the court filing obtained by Deadline, the father of the newest alleged victim came forward Tuesday and told police that several years ago, his teen daughter alleged that Busfield “kissed her and put his hands down her pants and touched her privates” while she auditioned at the Sacramento theatre he founded, B Street Theatre.
open image in galleryActor Timothy Busfield surrendered to Albuquerque police Tuesday on charges of child sexual abuse (Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center)
open image in galleryA new sexual abuse allegation has emerged against Timothy Busfield, who is married to actor Melissa Gilbert (Getty)Busfield allegedly “begged the family to not report to law enforcement if he received therapy,” the filing said. The alleged victim’s dad, who is a therapist himself, said he “thought at the time that was the best thing to do.”
The motion stated: “The Defendant poses an ongoing and serious danger to children and the community. His conduct reflects a calculated pattern of grooming, lack of boundaries, and exploitation of professional authority to gain access to minors.”
Prosecutors also said that witnesses to the Emmy winner’s alleged inappropriate behavior told investigators they were afraid Busfield would retaliate and hurt their careers in the wake of the allegations against him.
Busfield’s representatives did not immediately return The Independent’s request for comment about the new allegations.
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The actor, wearing an orange jumpsuit, did not enter a plea during his first court appearance Wednesday, and is expected to appear back in court to argue against the pretrial detention motion. He potentially faces decades in prison if he is found guilty.
Known for his roles in The West Wing and Field of Dreams, Busfield was working on season two of The Cleaning Lady as a director and executive producer when he met the two young boys who accused him of inappropriately touching them. One of the boys alleged that the incidents started when he was seven years old, according to the arrest warrant. The Fox show was cancelled last year.
Stein said in a statement that the allegations against him are an attempt by the boys’ mother to get revenge after the actors were not cast in the final season of the show. The director has maintained his innocence and said he is determined to clear his name with the support of Gilbert, who also released a statement defending him and asking for privacy after his arrest.
Warner Brothers conducted a probe into complaints against Busfield in February 2025 after an anonymous witness claimed they saw the actor kiss a six-year-old boy on the face while he was getting a haircut. The company’s third-party investigator did not find any evidence of inappropriate behavior, but police noted in the arrest warrant that she “was not able to talk with anyone who would support evidence that Timothy Busfield engaged in this behavior.”
Busfield has faced two other accusations of sexual assault reported in 1994 and 2012, according to the pretrial detention motion. In the first instance, a 17-year-old extra on Little Big League sued Busfield and accused him of serving her alcohol and attempting to have sex with her in his trailer. Busfield denied the claims and countersued for extortion, leading him to pay $150,000 in costs after the parties settled privately. The incident in 2012 occurred after a 28-year-old woman accused Busfield of sexually assaulting her at a movie theater in Los Angeles. The case was closed due to lack of evidence.
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