Overview
- Busfield, 68, is being held without bond in Albuquerque on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse, charges that could carry up to about 15 years if he is convicted.
- An arrest warrant alleges he inappropriately touched two 11-year-old twins he met while directing Fox’s The Cleaning Lady, including touching over clothing.
- Prosecutors moved for pretrial detention, citing a pattern of grooming and a separate report that he abused a 16-year-old at Sacramento’s B Street Theatre.
- Busfield denies wrongdoing, says he passed a polygraph, cites risk assessments and a studio review that his lawyers argue undermine the claims, and filed 75 character letters; his wife Melissa Gilbert asked the judge to protect him and is listed as a potential witness.
- The court set a pretrial detention hearing for Jan. 20, and industry responses include his agency dropping him and a TV episode being pulled, while Warner Bros. Television says it is cooperating with law enforcement.