Actor Timothy Busfield has been indicted on charges of child sex abuse. A grand jury in New Mexico heard allegations that the Emmy Award-winning actor and director had sexual contact with a child actor.
Busfield has denied the charges, calling them “lies”. The grand jurors, however, voted to indict him after hearing the case. He was indicted on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor, according to court records.
The actor, who was in The West Wing for seven years, had initially handed himself in to authorities last month after authorities in Albuquerque, New Mexico had issued a warrant for the actor’s arrest on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse.
The actor, 68, who won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1991 for his role in Thirtysomething, handed himself in to authorities to face the charges. They stemmed from allegations he had inappropriately touched a minor on the set of a TV series he was directing.
At the time, a video obtained by publications in the US saw Busfield insist “I did not do anything to those little boys” when he was processed at the police station.
When a police officer first interviewed the alleged victims of the incident, they said Busfield had tickled them on the stomach and legs in a way that made them uncomfortable. According to the affidavit they did not disclose any sexual contact.
At a hearing last month, prosecutor Savannah Brandenburg-Koch said: “It’s not uncommon that the kids did not disclose at that time, or were ready to disclose at that time, to a police officer that showed up at their house.”
Nearly a year after the allegations were made, one of the alleged victims is said to have told a therapist that the actor also touched their genitals and bottom.
Busfield had been allowed to be released from jail during the legal proceedings. A judge said they require the actor has no unsupervised contact with children during that time.
Following the grand jury indictment, which required a vote from two-thirds of the 12 jurors, the case is now closer to trial. However, no date has been set.
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