West Wing and Field of Dreams actor Timothy Busfield has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under age 13, a New Mexico prosecutor announced Saturday.
The allegations are tied to Busfield's work as a director on the set of the TV series The Cleaning Lady from 2022 to 2024.
Busfield has denied the allegations, initially filed in court by police, and a defence attorney on Saturday said he would "fight these charges at every stage".
Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced the indictment in a social media post.
Busfield had turned himself in to authorities in January on related charges by police and was released from jail by a judge who found no pattern of criminal conduct or similar allegations involving children in Busfield's past. The grand jury indictment allows the case against Busfield to proceed toward possible trial without a preliminary courtroom hearing on evidence.
Larry Stein, an attorney for Busfield, did not comment directly on the sexual contact charge in the indictment but said the grand jury declined to endorse grooming charges sought by prosecutors. Prosecutors declined to comment on what accusations it brought before the grand jury.
Stein said in a statement that a detention hearing already "exposed fatal weaknesses in the state’s evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure".
"Mr Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court," the statement said.
An investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department said a boy reported that Busfield touched his private areas over his clothing when he was 7 years old and again when he was 8, according to the initial criminal complaint from police. The boy’s twin told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but he didn’t say anything right away because he didn’t want to get in trouble, the complaint said.
The indictment — filed Saturday in state District Court — reiterates allegations that Busfield "touched or applied force to the intimate parts" of one of the boys on several occasions.
At a detention hearing last month, Busfield’s attorneys pointed out that the children initially said during interviews with police that Busfield didn’t touch them inappropriately. Busfield’s attorneys then accused the boys’ parents of coaching their children toward incriminating statements after the boys lost lucrative roles on the show.
But Assistant District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch has called evidence of abuse against Busfield strong and specific, with support from medical findings and the boys' therapist. She also said witnesses expressed fear about potential retaliation and professional harm.
Prosecutors have outlined what they said was grooming behaviour and abuse of power by Busfield over three decades.
Each count in the indictment against Busfied carries a possible penalty of six years in prison that can be enhanced if it involves a sexual offense, according to prosecutors.
In freeing Busfield on January 20, state District Court Judge David Murphy said that while the crimes Busfield is accused of inherently are dangerous and involve children, prosecutors didn’t prove the public wouldn’t be safe if he’s released.
Busfield is best known for appearances on The West Wing, Field of Dreams and Thirtysomething.
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