Timothy Busfield Released From Jail as Judge Weighs Evidence in Child Abuse Case

BY MIRABEL ODETA

Actor and director Timothy Busfield, best known for his roles in The West Wing and Field of Dreams, was ordered released from jail on Tuesday while he awaits further legal proceedings on child sexual abuse charges in New Mexico. A judge overseeing the case said the evidence presented so far against Busfield was “neutral,” allowing the 68-year-old to remain free pending a preliminary hearing later this month.

Busfield turned himself in last week after prosecutors in Albuquerque filed a criminal complaint accusing him of child abuse and two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor. The allegations center on claims that Busfield improperly touched two young cast members—twin boys—while directing episodes of the Fox television drama The Cleaning Lady, which was filmed in New Mexico. Busfield has strongly denied the accusations, calling them false and maintaining his innocence.

At a court hearing on Tuesday, Judge David Murphy said that based on the limited information currently before the court, the case against Busfield could not yet be characterized as strong or weak. “As it stands today, with the limited information I have in front of me, I’ll characterize the weight of the evidence against the defendant as neutral at this point,” the judge said. He ordered Busfield released from custody while the case proceeds.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for January 29. At that hearing, prosecutors will be required to establish probable cause that a crime was committed and that Busfield was responsible, a necessary step before the case can move toward trial.

According to an affidavit supporting the arrest warrant, the twin boys—now 11 years old—reported that the alleged misconduct occurred over a two-year period when they were between the ages of 7 and 8. Busfield was serving as an executive producer on The Cleaning Lady and began directing episodes toward the end of the show’s second season in 2022.

Deputy District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch told the court that the investigation began after a hospital doctor contacted law enforcement in November 2024. The doctor reported concerns after the boys allegedly described behavior by Busfield that could be considered “grooming.” Brandenburg-Koch said the boys later disclosed allegations of actual sexual abuse to a therapist in September 2025.

Busfield’s defense attorney, Christopher Dodd, challenged the prosecution’s account, pointing to a recorded interview with law enforcement in which the boys denied being sexually abused.

In the video played in court, an officer asks each child whether Busfield had touched them in private areas, and both respond in the negative. Judge Murphy noted during the hearing that it is “not uncommon” for children who are alleged victims of sexual abuse to initially deny such experiences.

Dodd also sharply criticized the boys’ parents, describing them in court as “scam artists” and claiming they were motivated by revenge after the twins were removed from the show’s cast. The defense suggested the allegations arose only after the children stopped appearing on the series.

As part of the defense case, Allan Cabillo, the director of photography for The Cleaning Lady, testified that he never observed Busfield acting inappropriately toward the boys during production. Cabillo said the twins did not return for the show’s final season because they had simply aged out of their roles.

Shortly before turning himself in, Busfield posted a video online in which he directly denied the accusations. “I did not do anything to those little boys,” he said. In an interview with police conducted in November as part of the investigation, Busfield acknowledged that he may have had physical contact with the children, such as tickling or briefly picking them up, but described the interactions as playful, non-sexual, and occurring in the presence of others, according to the affidavit.

Busfield has had a long career in film and television. He is widely recognized for playing a White House reporter on NBC’s political drama The West Wing, which aired from 1999 to 2006, and for his role as an advertising executive on the acclaimed 1980s series Thirtysomething. In the 1989 film Field of Dreams, he portrayed the brother-in-law of Kevin Costner’s character. The case against him remains in its early stages, with further developments expected after the upcoming preliminary bearing.