A judge in New Mexico has thrown out a legal case against actor Timothy Busfield, known for his roles in “West Wing” and “Field of Dreams,” that accused him of criminal sexual contact with a child. The judge cited errors and misconduct by prosecutors that undermined the grand jury process. The decision to dismiss the charges was made by State District Judge Joseph Montano and was announced on Friday.
Busfield has consistently denied the allegations, labeling them as falsehoods driven by vengeance. It is unclear whether prosecutors intend to pursue a new indictment in light of the judge’s ruling.
The incident in question occurred while Busfield was directing the TV series “The Cleaning Lady” between 2022 and 2024. The parents of twin boys who were part of the show alleged that Busfield had inappropriately touched their children on the set in Albuquerque, New Mexico. According to a criminal complaint filed in January, one of the boys reported that Busfield touched him inappropriately on two occasions when he was seven and eight years old.
The complaint also stated that the boy’s twin brother mentioned being touched by Busfield but did not provide details, fearing repercussions. Following his surrender, Busfield was released from custody pending trial after a judge found no evidence of prior criminal behavior involving children.
Subsequently, a grand jury issued an indictment accusing Busfield of multiple instances of touching or applying force to the intimate parts of one of the boys. However, Busfield’s legal team argued that the children initially denied any inappropriate behavior by Busfield and accused their parents of coaching them to make false statements after losing their roles in the show.
In response to the defense’s motion to dismiss the indictment, Busfield’s attorneys contended that prosecutors had ignored the lack of evidence and manipulated procedures to prevent the grand jury from hearing crucial testimony. They presented audio recordings of grand jurors requesting additional witnesses, claiming that the prosecution misled the jurors about the need for subpoenas.
During the proceedings, Busfield expressed the impact of the case on his life and family, asserting his innocence and refuting the allegations. Prosecutors had warned that each count in the indictment carried a potential sentence of up to six years in prison.
