The West Wing star Timothy Busfield has been indicted on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor, but his lawyer has hit out at the decision
The main lawyer representing Timothy Busfield has hit out at the decision to indict the actor. On Thursday, it was revealed that a grand jury in New Mexico had decided to indict the West Wing star, 68, on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor.
Busfield continues to deny the allegations which are alleged to have taken place between November 2022 and spring 2024.
Now, his lawyer has lamented the decision by the grand jurors and did so in a sarcastic manner. “As the saying goes, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich,” Larry Stein bluntly said.
Speaking to Deadline, Stein said: “What is deeply concerning is that the District Attorney is choosing to proceed on a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial. The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State’s evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure.”
He continued: “This prosecution appears driven by something other than the facts or the law. Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court — where evidence matters — not behind closed doors.”
DA Bergman’s office posted the news of Busfield’s indictment online on Friday. It said: “Bernalillo County Grand Jury Issues Indictment in Child Sexual Contact Case Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced today that a Bernalillo County grand jury indicted Timothy Busfield.
“Busfield was indicted on the following charges: Count 1: Criminal Sexual Contact of a Child Count 2: Criminal Sexual Contact of a Child Count 3: Criminal Sexual Contact of a Child Count 4: Criminal Sexual Contact of a Child As with all criminal proceedings, Mr. Busfield is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. This case will proceed through the judicial process and is expected to move forward to trial.
“The case will be prosecuted by the Special Victims Unit of the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Sam Bregman emphasised that protecting children remains a top priority for his office. The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office remains committed to doing everything possible to protect children and ensure justice for victims. No further information is being released at this time.”
Busfield had been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse on January 9. The alleged incident stemmed from apparent incidents involving two minor boys on the New Mexico set of a series Busfield was involved in.
The actor, who previously won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1991 for his role in Thirtysomething, had handed himself in to authorities earlier this month in order to face the charges.
Busfield had been allowed to be released from jail during the legal proceedings. A judge said the actor is required to have no unsupervised contact with children during that time.
The case is now closer to trial following the grand jury indictment, which required a vote from two-thirds of the 12 jurors. However, as of yet, no date has been set.
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