Judge Rules In Favor Of Timothy Busfield Release Pending Trial

Timothy Busfield officially received a judge’s ruling on whether he will stay in custody in an Albuquerque, New Mexico jail on child sex abuse charges or be granted freedom until his trial begins.

The actor-director has remained in custody after turning himself in following an arrest warrant that was obtained due to allegations that he participated in inappropriate conduct with two minor children on the set of Fox’s “The Cleaning Lady.”

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, Judge David A. Murray rendered his decision to grant the “Thirtysomething” star’s release from jail after hearing statements from both the defense and the prosecution, according to Deadline.

There are also a set of conditions Busfield must follow ahead of his release. He must be present for all upcoming court hearings, but the judge declined to restrict his travel in and out of New Mexico.

Busfield is also prohibited from having any “unsupervised contact with any minor children in this case,” with Judge Murray noting “The West Wing” star is “not to have any contact with the alleged victims or their families, and you’re also not to discuss the case with any witnesses,” per the outlet.

Addressing the prosecution’s claims of past sexual assault allegations that never resulted in any charges against Busfield, Judge Murray ruled them out.

“There are no similar allegations involving children in his past. There’s no evidence of non-compliance with prior court orders. Rather, this defendant self surrendered and submitted himself to this Court’s jurisdiction demonstrating compliance with the court order for his arrest,” the judge said.

Busfield’s wife, “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert, was present in the courtroom during the hearing alongside other reported family members and Busfield’s attorney, Larry Stein.

As Judge Murray announced that Busfield would be granted release from custody, Gilbert cried in the courtroom as he was taken away in handcuffs and prepared to be released.

The actress, along with three of Busfield’s co-stars from “Thirtysomething,” wrote a passionate letter to the judge and pleaded with him to “protect” her husband and ensure his safety, while also speaking highly of his character.

“I know Tim better and more intimately than anything in his life ever has,” Gilbert’s letter read. The actress added that her husband “has the strongest moral compass of any human I have ever known. He has dedicated his spiritual self to always being of service to others. He starts every day with kindness and compassion.”

“Please, please, take care of my sweet husband. As he is my protector, I am his, but I cannot protect him now and I think that, more than anything else, is what is truly breaking my heart, I am relying on you to protect him for me,” her letter concluded.

In an audio recording obtained by TMZ, the two male minor victims were interviewed by police back in November 2024 and asked directly if they were inappropriately touched by Timothy Busfield.

In the audio, a police officer can be heard asking the boys a series of questions, including: “So, you know what is right and wrong, right? You know no one can touch your private areas?”

One of the boys replied to those questions, telling the officer “Yeah, but he doesn’t touch those parts.” The other young boy added his own response, saying “No, he’s never touched me… never.”

These statements in the audio will prove to be crucial to the defense’s case, as they believe they contradict more recent claims against Busfield.

The Daily Mail reports that Busfield has been accused of inappropriate sexual conduct with a 16-year-old girl. Per the outlet, the incident allegedly occurred while the minor was auditioning in Sacramento, California for the B Street Theatre, which is founded by Busfield.

“While auditioning for the defendant at B Street Theatre, the 16-year-old reported that (he) kissed her and put his hands down her pants and touched her privates,” the court filing read, per the outlet.

Elsewhere in the documents, Busfield is alleged to have “begged the family to not report to law enforcement if he received therapy.” The young girl’s father, himself a therapist, allegedly agreed with Busfield’s request for therapy treatment.

Just days after he turned himself in to police after a warrant for his arrest was issued, Busfield’s long-time talent agency Innovative Artists dropped him, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, it was also announced that he will be edited out of the upcoming Amazon MGM rom-com “You Deserve Each Other,” where he was cast as the father of Meghan Fahy, who stars alongside Penn Badgley, per Deadline.

Additionally, NBC decided not to air the Jan. 12 episode of “Law & Order: SVU” due to Busfield’s guest-starring role.