Actor-director Timothy \u200bBusfield, known for roles in “The West Wing” and “Field of Dreams,” was ordered to be released from jail on Tuesday as he awaits further proceedings on child sexual abuse charges after a New Mexico judge called the evidence against him “neutral.” Prosecutors allege Busfield, who is married to actor Melissa Gilbert, improperly touched two young cast members – twin boys – while \u2060directing the Fox TV drama “The Cleaning Lady,” which was filmed in New Mexico. Busfield, 68, turned himself in last week after prosecutors in Albuquerque filed a \u200ccriminal complaint charging him with child \u2060abuse and two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor. He has professed his innocence, calling the allegations against him “lies.” “As it stands today, with the limited information I have in front of me, I’ll characterize \u200dthe weight of the evidence against the defendant as neutral at this point,” Judge David Murphy said at
a court hearing on Tuesday. The judge ordered Busfield released from custody pending further proceedings in the case. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for January 29, during which prosecutors will need \u2060to establish probable cause to proceed to a trial. According to an arrest warrant affidavit that accompanied the criminal complaint, the twin boys, now 11, reported the alleged contact occurred over a two-year period, when they were aged 7 and 8. Busfield was an executive producer of the show and began directing episodes around the end of the second season in 2022. Deputy District Attorney \u200cSavannah Brandenburg-Koch told the court on Tuesday that a hospital doctor first contacted law enforcement in November 2024 after the boys told the physician that Busfield had engaged in behavior that could be characterized as “grooming.” But she said the boys alleged acts of actual sexual abuse to a \u2060therapist in September 2025. Defense lawyer, Christopher Dodd, countered that the twins
had denied they were sexually abused by Busfield under questioning from a law enforcement officer. In the recording of the interview, which was played in court, the officer asks each of the boys if they had been “touched in private areas” by Busfield, and the boys both say, “no.” The judge said later during the hearing that it’s “not uncommon” for children \u2060who are alleged victims to initially deny sexual abuse. Dodd also described the boys’ mother and father as “scam artists” in court, saying the parents wanted “revenge” on the director after the twins were removed from the series cast. Called as a witness by the defense, Allan Cabillo, director of photography for “The Cleaning Lady,” \u200dsaid he never observed Busfield behaving inappropriately with the boys. He said the boys did not return for the show’s final season because they had aged out of their roles. In a video posted online shortly before his surrender, Busfield denied<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Actor-director Timothy \u200bBusfield, known for roles in “The West Wing” and “Field of Dreams,” was ordered to be released from jail on Tuesday as he awaits further proceedings on child sexual abuse charges after a New Mexico judge called the evidence against him “neutral.” Prosecutors allege Busfield, who is married to actor Melissa Gilbert, improperly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n