Authorities have laid out severe criminal charges against actor Timothy Busfield, who faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. Two days after Busfield, aged 68, surrendered to police, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman addressed the case during a press conference on January 15th.
Bregman confirmed that Busfield is charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor under the age of 13 and one count of child abuse. "Under New Mexico law, each count of criminal sexual contact carries up to six years of incarceration, and child abuse carries up to three years," said Bregman regarding the potential penalties.
The case has now been transferred to District Court, and Busfield is scheduled to appear on January 20th for a pretrial detention hearing, where a judge will decide whether he will remain in custody until trial or be released under specific conditions. He made his first court appearance on January 14th, when a judge ordered him held pending that hearing.
Busfield turned himself in on January 13th, four days after an arrest warrant was issued by the Albuquerque Police Department. According to the warrant, authorities allege that Busfield engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with 11-year-old twin boys. The children's parents told investigators that the boys met Busfield while working on the set of the FOX series The Cleaning Lady, where he served as a director during season two.
The warrant claims that Busfield developed a close relationship with the children, allegedly encouraging them to call him "Uncle Tim." An additional allegation surfaced in a pretrial detention motion filed on January 14th, where a man reported that Busfield allegedly sexually abused his daughter years earlier in California.
Busfield has denied all allegations, calling them "lies" in a video posted following his surrender.
