Timothy Busfield Ordered Held Without Bond as New Allegations Surface
Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield was ordered held without bond in Albuquerque, facing child sex-abuse charges and prosecutors' claims of a decades-long pattern of misconduct.
Overview
Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield, 68, surrendered in Albuquerque and was booked on warrants alleging two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse.
At his first court appearance by video, Busfield was ordered held without bond; a detention hearing to decide continued custody must be scheduled within five business days.
A criminal complaint says twin brothers born in 2014 reported Busfield touched them on the set of The Cleaning Lady between November 2022 and spring 2024.
Prosecutors filed a motion seeking pretrial detention, citing an alleged two-decade pattern of sexual misconduct, abuse of authority, grooming behavior, and witnesses’ fear of retaliation or professional harm.
Busfield denies the allegations, notes he passed a polygraph and cites a Warner Bros. probe; prosecutors disclosed an additional claim alleging Busfield groped a then-16-year-old auditioning years earlier.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story by foregrounding prosecutors’ narrative—repeating motion language like "documented pattern" and "grooming behavior," detailing allegations from the criminal complaint and a new prior claim—while placing defense responses (denials, a passed polygraph, a Warner Bros. review) later and more briefly, shifting emphasis toward alleged misconduct and public-safety concerns.
Sources (19)
FAQ
Busfield faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse, stemming from allegations of inappropriately touching twin brothers aged 7 and 8 on the set of 'The Cleaning Lady' between November 2022 and spring 2024.
A judge ordered Busfield held without bond following his first court appearance by video; a detention hearing must be scheduled within five business days, with a preliminary hearing deadline of January 29.
Prosecutors cited a new claim from a then-16-year-old girl who alleged Busfield groped her during an audition several years ago; they also reference a two-decade pattern of sexual misconduct, grooming, and abuse of authority.
Busfield denies all allegations, claims he passed an independent polygraph, references a Warner Bros. investigation that found no wrongdoing, and suggests the boys' mother sought revenge after her sons were not brought back for the final season.
The twins' mother reported the abuse to Child Protective Services in October 2025; police began investigating in November 2024 after a doctor's request from University of New Mexico Hospital.
History
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