Timothy Busfield is officially out of custody. The 68-year-old actor and director is best known for his roles in The West Wing and Field of Dreams, and was released from a New Mexico jail on Tuesday night, January 20. The release came hours after a tense detention hearing in Albuquerque, where a judge denied prosecutors’ request to keep him behind bars while he awaits trial on severe child sex abuse charges.
State District Court Judge David Murphy granted Busfield’s release on his own recognizance. This decision sent shockwaves through the courtroom, where Busfield’s wife, Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert, was seen weeping with relief in the gallery.
Busfield faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. The charges stem from allegations that he inappropriately touched twin boy actors on the set of the Fox series The Cleaning Lady, where he served as a director and executive producer.
The Courtroom Showdown
The scene inside the Bernalillo County Courthouse was dramatic. Busfield appeared in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. He stood silently as his defense team and prosecutors painted two vastly different portraits of the Hollywood veteran.
Assistant District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg Koch argued fiercely for Busfield’s continued detention. She described the evidence against him as “strong and specific.” Prosecutors alleged a decades-long pattern of misconduct and “grooming behavior.” They claimed that witnesses have expressed fear of retaliation if Busfield were to be released.
“GPS is not going to tell this court if he is around children or talking to witnesses,” Brandenburg Koch warned the judge. She cited medical findings and therapist reports that allegedly corroborate the boys’ accounts of abuse, which reportedly occurred between 2022 and 2024.
However, Judge Murphy was ultimately swayed by the defense. Busfield’s attorneys argued that the actor had no prior criminal record and had voluntarily surrendered to authorities after driving 2,000 miles from New York to New Mexico upon learning of the warrant.
“There is no evidence of a pattern of criminal conduct. There are no similar allegations involving children in his past,” Judge Murphy ruled. “Rather, this defendant self-surrendered and submitted himself to this court’s jurisdiction, demonstrating compliance with the court order for his arrest.”
While Busfield is no longer in a cell, his freedom comes with a tight leash. Judge Murphy imposed a strict set of conditions for his release. Busfield will be supervised by a pretrial services office in Albuquerque. He is permitted to leave the state to return to his home in New York, but he is strictly prohibited from possessing firearms or drugs.
Most critically, he is barred from having any contact with the alleged victims or their families. He is also forbidden from unsupervised contact with any minors.
The judge’s decision to allow Busfield to travel home was a significant victory for the defense. His lawyers successfully argued that he has deep ties to the community and has consistently cooperated with the legal process.
Busfield has vehemently denied the allegations since the arrest warrant was issued earlier this month. In a video statement released to TMZ before his surrender, he called the accusations “horrible” and “all lies.”
His legal team has gone on the offensive. They claim in court filings that the allegations are motivated by financial gain and retaliation after the twin boys lost their roles on The Cleaning Lady.
Defense attorneys also pointed to an internal investigation conducted by Warner Bros. earlier this year. According to the defense that investigation found “no corroborating evidence” to support the claims of misconduct on set. They further stated that Busfield passed an independent polygraph test regarding the accusations.
Career Fallout Begins
Despite his release from jail, the damage to Busfield’s career is already mounting. Just days before the hearing, it was confirmed that Busfield has been edited out of the upcoming Amazon MGM romantic comedy You Deserve Each Other. The film stars Penn Badgley and Meghann Fahy. Busfield had already wrapped filming on his role as Fahy’s father, but the studio moved quickly to remove him from the final cut following his arrest.
This swift erasure signals that Hollywood is distancing itself from the Emmy winner amid the legal battle. Busfield was once a prolific director for shows like This Is Us and The Rookie, but now faces an uncertain professional future regardless of the trial’s outcome.
What’s Next?
Busfield is now a free man pending trial, but his legal odyssey is just beginning. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 29. At that time, prosecutors will need to present enough evidence to convince a judge that there is probable cause to proceed to a full trial.
For now, Busfield returns to his life with Melissa Gilbert while the cloud of these serious charges hangs over him. The case has become one of the most high-profile #MeToo moments of 2026 and pits the word of a beloved industry veteran against the specific and disturbing allegations of child actors.
Everything We Know So Far
- The Release Timothy Busfield was released from a New Mexico jail on Tuesday night, Jan 20, on his own recognizance.
- The Charges He faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse.
- The Allegations The charges stem from incidents involving twin boy actors on the set of The Cleaning Lady between 2022 and 2024.
- The Conditions: He can travel home to New York but must have no contact with victims or unsupervised minors.
- The Defense Busfield claims the allegations are “lies” motivated by money and retaliation. He cites a Warner Bros. investigation that found no wrongdoing.
- The Fallout. He has already been cut from the upcoming movie, You Deserve Each Other.
- Next Date: A preliminary hearing is set for January 29, 2026.
