An actor facing allegations of child sex abuse was granted a pre-trial comfort as his celebrity wife was seen sobbing in the courtroom.
(Video Credit: ExtraTV)
Tuesday in New Mexico, District Court Judge David Murphy agreed to the release of Timothy Busfield, the 68-year-old actor known for his roles in “Field of Dreams” and “The West Wing,” who was held pre-trial amid allegations of inappropriate contact with children. While his wife, “Little House on the Prairie” actress Melissa Gilbert, was seen sobbing, the judge ruled Busfield had no “pattern of criminal conduct” that would suggest him to be a danger to others.
“There’s no evidence of a pattern of criminal conduct; there are no similar allegations involving children in his past. Rather, this defendant self-surrendered and submitted himself to this court’s jurisdiction, demonstrating compliance with the court order for his arrest,” the judge said Tuesday.
Leading up to the hearing, Busfield was being held at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, following his arrest after turning himself in on Jan. 13, 2026, days after a warrant was issued.
The prosecution attempted to present a record of grooming behavior as the defendant was accused of touching the “private areas” of one boy when he was seven- and eight-years-old, and of kissing another boy on the face while filming the show “The Cleaning Lady” that Busfield directed.
Deadline reported details of an opposition filing from Jan. 16, 2026, that asserted, “The State’s attempt to transform responsible self-surrender into aggravating conduct only underscores the absence of genuine evidence of dangerousness,” after Busfield was said to have declined “to participate in a media event of the State’s choosing.”
“The State offers no reliable proof–only allegations advanced by witnesses with documented histories of fraud and financial exploitation, contradicted by a comprehensive studio investigation, and refuted by witnesses and objective risk assessments,” the court document read. “The Constitution does not allow liberty to be forfeited on such a foundation.”
In his defense during a Nov. 3, 2025, interview with investigators, Busfield said that interactions with the children would have been “in front of the parents” and “I don’t really remember picking those boys up.”
“I remember picking up the boy who followed them. I’d pick him up, and he’d be giggling, and that would sort of get him ready to act,” he asserted. As support for the argument that the children were never without their parents for supervision, the defense called “The Cleaning Lady” director of photography, Alan Caudillo, as a witness. The case was made that parents had encouraged their children be hugged by adults on set.
Meanwhile, as a separate motion was filed Jan. 14, 2026, that further accused Busfield of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl “several years ago” in California, a 2024 interview of the boys submitted as evidence in his defense of the chief allegations includes their denial that the director had inappropriately touched them.
A statement from Gilbert’s representative had addressed her lack of desire to make public statements, as, instead, “her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment. Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time.”
While awaiting the pending trial, Busfield is allowed to leave the state to be at his home on supervised release.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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