Overview
- The actor made a first appearance in a New Mexico court and was ordered held pending a pretrial detention hearing expected within five business days, with a preliminary hearing deadline set for January 29.
- Prosecutors seeking to detain him pretrial cited what they called a sustained pattern of predatory conduct and revealed a report that he allegedly abused a 16-year-old during a past audition in Sacramento, a matter that has not resulted in charges.
- Busfield, 68, faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse tied to alleged touching of two child actors on the Fox series The Cleaning Lady.
- His lawyer says Busfield voluntarily took an independent polygraph regarding the on-set allegations and passed, while publicly maintaining his innocence.
- Innovative Artists dropped Busfield as a client, and prosecutors questioned the scope of a prior Warner Bros. third‑party review that the studio says found no corroboration and was shared with law enforcement.