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Beringia

(5,414 posts)
Fri Feb 6, 2026, 12:10 PM 5 hrs ago

Actor Timothy Busfield indicted on child sex abuse charges by New Mexico grand jury

Source: NBC news

A grand jury in New Mexico indicted actor Timothy Busfield on child sex abuse charges, officials said Friday.

Busfield was indicted on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child, the Bernalillo County District Attorney's office said in a press release.

"As with all criminal proceedings, Mr. Busfield is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law," Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman said in a statement. "This case will proceed through the judicial process and is expected to move forward to trial."

Bregman added that the case will be prosecuted by his office's special victims unit, and that no further information would be released at this time.

Attorneys for Busfield did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/actor-timothy-busfield-indicted-child-sex-abuse-charges-new-mexico-gra-rcna257502



I am interested to know what will happen in this case
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Actor Timothy Busfield indicted on child sex abuse charges by New Mexico grand jury (Original Post) Beringia 5 hrs ago OP
Awww, man. We love The West Wing around here AZJonnie 4 hrs ago #1
I've been rewatching The West Wing on Netflix mnhtnbb 2 hrs ago #10
Busfield might have a good defense, we'll see FakeNoose 4 hrs ago #2
This is what I was thinking, I guess they have ways to ferret out fabrications Beringia 3 hrs ago #6
Oooo, he has a past record BaronChocula 3 hrs ago #3
I wonder why Melissa Gilbert is still with him then Beringia 3 hrs ago #4
Looks like she married him BaronChocula 3 hrs ago #7
If' he's guilty, then throw the book at him, but I'll wait. hamsterjill 3 hrs ago #5
Just think angrychair 2 hrs ago #8
While it doesn't look good, we aren't the jury. no_hypocrisy 2 hrs ago #9

mnhtnbb

(33,212 posts)
10. I've been rewatching The West Wing on Netflix
Fri Feb 6, 2026, 02:51 PM
2 hrs ago

And I have to say--independent of the news of these charges--that the character he played on West Wing did seem to be a bit creepy to me, always pushing CJ to date him. Characters can be played with a different edge. Give a bunch of actors the same words and it can be interesting to see the variation.

FakeNoose

(40,686 posts)
2. Busfield might have a good defense, we'll see
Fri Feb 6, 2026, 12:42 PM
4 hrs ago

The news stories have reported that these incidents may be fabricated. Busfield was directing the series and also one of the actors in the series. The boys' parents were unhappy when the boys lost their roles on the TV series. According to Busfield this is all fabricated as the parents' way of getting even with him.

BaronChocula

(4,176 posts)
3. Oooo, he has a past record
Fri Feb 6, 2026, 01:40 PM
3 hrs ago

according to Wiki (had to look).

Busfield has been accused of sexual assault against four children and one adult, once in 1994, once in 2012, and three times in 2026. The 1994 case resulted in a settlement for the alleged victim.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Busfield

And he's married to Melissa Gilbert. Whadaya know.

BaronChocula

(4,176 posts)
7. Looks like she married him
Fri Feb 6, 2026, 02:11 PM
3 hrs ago

long after the 90s settlement in 2013. So she had to have been aware. Maybe she just didn't believe the allegations.

hamsterjill

(17,182 posts)
5. If' he's guilty, then throw the book at him, but I'll wait.
Fri Feb 6, 2026, 01:56 PM
3 hrs ago

This case has seemed suspicious to me since I started hearing about it. I'm waiting for the trial.

no_hypocrisy

(54,559 posts)
9. While it doesn't look good, we aren't the jury.
Fri Feb 6, 2026, 02:35 PM
2 hrs ago

I had a client who was arrested for luring 2 nine year olds into his van, claiming he was looking for a puppy.

Local news reported it, including a blurb on its website. His photo even made him appear guilty.

Except the charges were contrived and the prosecution couldn’t prove its case.

He lost his job nonetheless and had to re-invent himself.

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