Melissa Gilbert has reacted joyously to her husband, actor and director Timothy Busfield’s release from custody after he was charged with criminal sexual contact and child abuse.
Busfield, 68, was released from jail pending trial on child sex abuse charges during a detention hearing Tuesday. He surrendered himself to Albuquerque police last week, days after an arrest warrant charged him with two counts of criminal sexual contact and child abuse in connection with alleged incidents that occurred while working on the set of the Fox series The Cleaning Lady.
The Field of Dreams actor has denied the allegations and called them lies in a video released prior to turning himself in.
Following Busfield’s release, his civil attorney, Larry Stein, told People that the West Wing alum “feels wonderful” about the ruling.
“He can reunite with Melissa,” Stein said, adding that Gilbert, 61, is “very, very excited.”
Gilbert, best known for her role as Laura Ingalls in the TV classic Little House on the Prairie, has been married to Busfield since 2013. Both have been married twice before. She was in the courtroom to support Busfield at Tuesday’s hearing, joined by her mother, Barbara Cowan, 89, her son Michael Boxleitner and Busfield’s brother, Buck.
During the hearing, state district court judge David Murphy acknowledged evidence that Busfield is accused of crimes that are inherently dangerous and involve children, but said prosecutors didn’t prove that there are no conditions of release that would protect the public’s safety.
“There’s no evidence of a pattern of criminal conduct, there are no similar allegations involving children in his past,” Murphy said. “Rather this defendant self-surrendered and submitted himself to this court’s jurisdiction, demonstrating compliance with the court order for his arrest.”
After the judge ordered Busfield’s release, Gilbert was seen tearfully whispering, “Thank you, God,” according to People. Gilbert’s representative Ame Van Ide previously issued a statement on her behalf, saying: “Melissa stands with and supports her husband.”
Gilbert also submitted one of the dozens of letters on Busfield’s behalf denying witnessing any inappropriate behavior by the actor.
“The reality is that Tim Busfield is my love, my rock, my partner in business and life. He is my comfort and my council. His joy, humor and quick wit bring sparkle to my life. Tim is, quite simply, the beating heart of our wild and wonderful extended family," Gilbert wrote, per Fox News Digital.
“This is the strangest letter I've ever had to write,” she continued. “So, I will close by asking you to please, please, take care of my sweet husband. As he is my protector, I am his, but I cannot protect him now and I think that, more than anything else, is what is truly breaking my heart. I am relying on you to protect him for me.”
Earlier this month, Albuquerque police issued a warrant for Busfield’s arrest on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. A criminal complaint alleges the acts occurred on the set of The Cleaning Lady, which was directed by Busfield and was filmed in the city.
According to the criminal complaint, an investigator with the police department says the child reported Busfield touched him on private areas over his clothing on one occasion when he was seven years old and another time when he was eight. The boy’s twin brother told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but did not specify where. He said he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to get in trouble.
Busfield’s attorneys have argued that the allegations emerged only after the boys lost their role in the TV show, creating a financial and retaliatory motive. The filings detailed what the attorneys said was a history of fraud by both the boys’ father and mother. They cited an investigation by Warner Bros. that determined the allegations unfounded.
After Busfield’s arrest, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bergman and Deputy DA Savannah Brandenburg-Koch filed paperwork to keep Busfield behind bars while he awaited trial, citing new allegations that the actor groped a 16-year-old girl.
According to the court filing, obtained by Deadline, the father of the newest alleged victim came forward January 13 and told police that several years ago, his teen daughter alleged that Busfield “kissed her and put his hands down her pants and touched her privates” while she auditioned at the Sacramento theatre he founded, B Street Theatre.
As part of his release conditions, Busfield is ordered to appear for all his future court dates and is not allowed to possess any firearms or dangerous weapons, consume any alcohol or illegal drugs, have contact with the alleged victims or their families, discuss the case with any witnesses, or have unsupervised contact with any minor children.
He is allowed to travel, but will remain under the supervision of Pretrial Services in New Mexico and must notify the court of his address.
The Independent has contacted Busfield’s lawyer for comment.
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