Timothy Busfield, Wearing Orange Jail Uniform, Looks Downcast in First Court Appearance on Child Sex Abuse Charges

As Timothy Busfield made his first appearance in front of a judge on Wednesday, Jan. 14, New Mexico prosecutors are arguing that he should remain behind bars while his court case unfolds.

via: People

The actor and director, 68, best known for his roles on The West Wing and Thirtysomething, was officially charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13) and one count of child abuse on Jan. 13, according to prosecutors.

Busfield is being held without bond and remains in custody ahead of his pretrial detention hearing, which the judge confirmed would take place in the next five business days, with Jan. 29 as the deadline for his preliminary hearing.

In a pretrial detention motion filed on Jan. 14 and obtained by PEOPLE, another accusation of sexual abuse was leveled against Busfield. A father, Colin Swift, reported to law enforcement on Jan. 13 that Busfield, 68, allegedly sexually abused Swift's daughter "several years ago" in Sacramento, Calif.

"While auditioning for [Busfield] at B Street Theatre, the 16-year-old reported that [Busfield] kissed her and put his hands down her pants and touched her privates," the motion read.

Busfield allegedly "begged the family to not report to law enforcement if he received therapy," and Swift, being a "therapist himself, thought at the time that was the best thing to do."

Busfield, who is married to actress Melissa Gilbert, surrendered to authorities on Jan. 13 after an arrest warrant was issued by the Albuquerque Police Department earlier that week.

He was taken into custody and officially charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse on allegations that he engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with 11-year-old twin boys. According to the warrant, one of the victims alleged that the incidents began when he was 7 years old.

Prosecutors filed a motion for pretrial detainment that day, seeking to keep Busfield in custody while he awaits trial.

In a video obtained by TMZ, Busfield spoke out for the first time shortly before his surrender.

"Hi everybody, it's Tim," the video began. "I'm sure most of you know, that are watching this, that I was ordered to come to Albuquerque – I'm here now. I got the call Friday night, I had to get a lawyer. Saturday I got in the car, drove 2,000 miles to Albuquerque. I'm gonna confront these lies. They're horrible."

He continued, "They're all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys and I'm gonna fight it. I'm gonna fight it with a great team, and I'm gonna be exonerated, I know I am, because this is all so wrong and all lies."

"So hang in there and hopefully I'm out real soon and back to work,” he concluded. “I love everybody for supporting me, thank you."

An investigation began on Nov. 1, 2024, after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) alerted police about alleged sexual abuse.

While speaking with Officer Marvin Kirk Brown, who issued the warrant, the victims' parents said the minors were child actors who met Busfield on the set of the FOX series The Cleaning Lady, where Busfield served as a director, according to the arrest warrant.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a Warner Bros. Television representative said, "The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our top priority, especially the safety of minors on our productions. We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and have systems in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate, and when needed, take appropriate action. [We] have been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement."

Shortly after Busfield turned himself in, a rep for Gilbert, who married Busfield in 2013, released a statement on the star's behalf, which noted that she is "honoring the request of Tim’s lawyers not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds."

"During this period, her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment," the statement said. "Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time. We ask that their privacy be respected.”

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.