By Jonathan Ferreira
Actor and director Timothy Busfield will be released from a New Mexico jail while awaiting trial after a judge rejected prosecutors request for detention. The sixty eight year old Emmy winning performer surrendered last week and faces allegations that he sexually abused two boys while working on the television series The Cleaning Lady. Busfield denies the claims. Prosecutors argued there was a pattern of inappropriate conduct that culminated on set and said detention was necessary. His wife Melissa Gilbert attended the hearing and became emotional as the ruling was delivered in an Albuquerque courtroom.
Judge David A Murphy authorised his release on his own recognisance without bail and ordered him to appear at all future court dates. Defence lawyers submitted more than seventy letters supporting his character and said he passed a polygraph examination and completed a psychosexual risk assessment. Prosecutors urged caution and said such tests deserved limited weight. Busfield lawyer argued he no longer held power within the industry, noting he was dropped by his agency, removed from a recent film, and effectively cancelled before trial.
The judge imposed conditions barring contact with witnesses and any minors connected to the case, while allowing travel with reporting requirements. Court documents allege the boys were groomed on set, referred to Busfield as Uncle Tim, and experienced inappropriate touching over several years, claims he strongly denies. One child said fear kept him silent. Busfield surrendered voluntarily after a warrant was issued and faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. A trial date has not been scheduled. His legal team maintains the accusations were motivated by retaliation after the children were removed from the production, an assertion prosecutors dispute as the case proceeds through the courts with further hearings expected in coming months.
