Overview
- Timothy Busfield remains held without bond in Albuquerque on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse tied to alleged misconduct involving twin 11-year-old actors on The Cleaning Lady.
- Defense filings on Jan. 16 include 75 character letters from family, friends, and colleagues, with wife Melissa Gilbert both submitting a plea to the judge and being listed as a potential defense witness.
- Busfield’s attorneys cite a claimed passed polygraph, an ABEL assessment, and a psychosexual evaluation reporting a very low risk of sexual offending to argue for release under conditions.
- Prosecutors are pressing for pretrial detention and, in their motion, reported a father’s account that Busfield allegedly kissed and touched his then‑16‑year‑old daughter during an audition years earlier at Sacramento’s B Street Theatre.
- The defense argues an independent studio review did not corroborate on‑set misconduct and says the state has not shown dangerousness, as the court prepares to hear detention arguments on Jan. 20.