Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Actor Timothy Busfield was indicted on four counts of sexual contact with a child in New Mexico on Friday.
- The allegations relate to his work on the TV series "The Cleaning Lady."
- Busfield denies the charges; his attorney cites weaknesses in the state's evidence.
SANTA FE, N.M. — "West Wing" and "Field of Dreams" actor Timothy Busfield has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child, a New Mexico prosecutor announced Friday.
The allegations are tied to Busfield's work as a director on the set of the TV series "The Cleaning Lady" in recent years.
Busfield has denied the allegations, initially filed in court by police, and a defense attorney on Friday said he would "fight these charges at every stage."
Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced the indictment in a social media post.
Busfield had turned himself in to authorities in January and was later released from jail on his own recognizance by a judge who found no pattern of criminal conduct or similar allegations involving children in Busfield's past.
Busfield is best known for appearances on "The West Wing," "Field of Dreams" and "Thirtysomething."
Larry Stein, an attorney for Busfield, did not comment on the sexual contact charge in the indictment but said the grand jury declined to endorse grooming charges sought by prosecutors.
He said in a statement that a detention hearing already "exposed fatal weaknesses in the state's evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure."
An investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department said a boy reported that Busfield touched him on his private areas over his clothing on one occasion when he was 7 years old and another time when he was 8, according to the initial criminal complaint from police. The boy's twin told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but he didn't say anything right away because he didn't want to get in trouble, the complaint said.
At a detention hearing last month, Busfield's attorneys pointed out that the children initially said during interviews with police that Busfield didn't touch them inappropriately. Busfield's attorneys then accused the boys' parents of coaching their children toward incriminating statements after the boys lost lucrative roles on the show.
