Timothy Busfield made his first appearance in court on Wednesday on charges of sexual abuse against a 7-year-old boy on the set of “The Cleaning Lady.”
Busfield appeared before Judge Felicia Blea-Rivera via Zoom from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque. He was wearing an orange jail jumpsuit.
He was advised that he will remain in custody at least until a hearing can be held on the state’s motion to detain him pending trial. The hearing will be within five days. No plea was entered.
The longtime actor and star of “Thirtysomething” and “The West Wing” faces three counts, including criminal sexual contact and child abuse.
He surrendered to authorities on Tuesday and has maintained his innocence. His civil attorney, Larry Stein, said in a statement on Wednesday that he had voluntarily submitted to a polygraph and passed it.
Prosecutors have alleged that Busfield poses a danger to the community. After the charges were filed, a man came forward to report that Busfield had allegedly groped the man’s 16-year-old daughter during auditions for a play in Sacramento several years ago.
According to the prosecution’s filing, Busfield had begged the family not to report him to police and promised to get therapy. Busfield has faced additional sexual misconduct allegations in the past, though he has never before been criminally charged.
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The boy and his twin brother were actors on “The Cleaning Lady,” which aired on Fox. They told investigators last fall that Busfield would touch them on set and made them uncomfortable. The alleged victim accused Busfield of touching his “private areas.”
When interviewed by police in November, Busfield said it was “highly likely” that he would have picked the boys up and tickled them, according to an Albuquerque police affidavit. Later in the interview, Busfield said he did not recall tickling the boys.
“I don’t remember overtly tickling the boys ever,” he said. “But it wouldn’t be uncommon for me.”
Busfield also alleged that the boys’ parents were out for “revenge” after the boys were not hired for the final season of the show.
From Variety US