Actor and director Timothy Busfield was indicted by a grand jury Friday on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced the indictment and posted Busfield’s mugshot.
“This case will proceed through the judicial process and is expected to move forward to trial,” Bregman stated on X.
Busfield’s civil attorney, Stanton “Larry” Stein, said the indictment was not unexpected and his client intends to fight the charges.
“As the saying goes, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich,” Stein said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times. “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,” Stein continued. “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, 68, turned himself in last month after Albuquerque police issued an arrest warrant alleging that the actor engaged in sexual misconduct with two boys.
He was released from jail on his own recognizance on Jan. 20 and is awaiting trial.
The Emmy Award-winning actor who has been in hundreds of movies and television productions, including “The West Wing,” “Thirtysomething,” and “Field of Dreams,” surrendered to authorities on Jan. 13 after the warrant was issued.
The charges stem from allegations that Busfield had inappropriate contact with twin boys on the Albuquerque set of “The Cleaning Lady,” a television series that he directed.
Busfield has denied the allegations, telling TMZ he expects to be exonerated.
His wife, “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert, didn’t immediately release a public statement following Friday’s indictments.
Melissa Gilbert (C) reacts as her husband, Timothy Busfield, is granted a conditional release at a hearing in the Second District Judicial Court at the Bernalillo County Courthouse in Albuquerque, N.M., on Jan. 20, 2026. (AJ Skuy for Fox News Digital Pool Photo via AP)
Gilbert, who married Busfield in 2013, posted a social media statement on Jan. 26 through her lifestyle brand Modern Prairie, though she didn’t address the allegations directly.
“I’m sending you all my love and gratitude during this extraordinarily difficult time. Not only for Tim, me and our family, but in the collective heaviness so many of us seem to be carrying right now. And an unexpected storm to the mix, and it can all feel like a bit too much,” the statement read in part.
Gilbert, 61, was seen breaking down in court as Busfield was released from detention last month. She has continued creating content with Modern Prairie but has taken a step back from the public during as her husband’s legal proceedings continue. She has deactivated her personal Instagram account.
