Timothy Busfield has been indicted on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child. Photo / Getty Images
Timothy Busfield has been indicted on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child. Photo / Getty Images
Timothy Busfield has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child.
All of the charges against the 68-year-old actor – who is married to Little House On The Prairie actor Melissa Gilbert – are third-degree felonies, according to court documents obtained byPeople magazine.
Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced the indictment and said in a statement: “As with all criminal proceedings, Mr Busfield is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. This case will proceed through the judicial process and is expected to move forward to trial.”
The Special Victims Unit of the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office will be prosecutors on the case, per the statement, and Bregman insisted that “protecting children remains a top priority for his office”.
He went on to say: “The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office remains committed to doing everything possible to protect children and ensure justice for victims across New Mexico.”
Busfield, 68, allegedly engaged in unlawful conduct with 11-year-old twin boys. Photo / Getty Images
Busfield’s civil attorney Larry Stein said the “indictment was not unexpected”.
He went on: “As the saying goes, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich. What is deeply concerning is that the District Attorney is choosing to proceed on a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial.
“The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State’s evidence – gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure. This prosecution appears driven by something other than the facts or the law. Mr Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court – where evidence matters – not behind closed doors.”
Busfield, whose acting career has included TheWest Wing, turned himself in and was booked by authorities on January 13, just four days after the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) issued a warrant for his arrest.
The warrant came after it was alleged he engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with 11-year-old twin boys.
On January 20, the Field of Dreams actor was released with conditions while awaiting trial.
The conditions include that he is not allowed to possess any firearms or dangerous weapons, consume any alcohol or illegal drugs, have contact with the alleged victims or their families, discuss the case with any witnesses or have unsupervised contact with any minor children.
Busfield has denied all the charges, saying in a video obtained by TMZ: “I did not do anything. 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.”
