Timothy Busfield's lawyer speaks out after actor's indictment about what he finds 'deeply concern...

&34;The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State's evidence,&34; the actor's lawyer said to EW in a statement. Timothy Busfield's lawyer speaks out after actor's indictment about what he finds 'deeply concerning' &34;The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State's evidence,&34; the actor's lawyer said to EW in a statement. By Mekishana Pierre :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/MekishanaPierreauthorphotoed08906b8105488ca1e991de8ac00dec.jpg) Mekishana Pierre Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at . She has been working at EW since 2025.

"The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State's evidence," the actor's lawyer said to EW in a statement.

Timothy Busfield's lawyer speaks out after actor's indictment about what he finds 'deeply concerning'

"The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State's evidence," the actor's lawyer said to EW in a statement.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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February 6, 2026 4:21 p.m. ET

Timothy Busfield at a hearing in Albuquerque on Jan. 20, 2026. Credit:

Sam Wasson/Getty

Timothy Busfield's lawyer is slamming New Mexico's "fundamentally unsound" case after a grand jury indicted the *Thirtysomething *star on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor in a state court in Albuquerque on Friday.**

"The indictment was not unexpected. As the saying goes, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich," Larry Stein told ** in a statement. "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."

Stein continued, "The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State's evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure. 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," the actor's attorney asserted.

Timothy Busfield attends the ABC Television's Winter Press Tour in January 2020.

Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

The latest development comes nearly a month after New Mexico authorities issued a warrant for Busfield's arrest, based on allegations of engaging in unlawful sexual conduct with two young boys whom he directed on the Fox series *The Cleaning Lady*, though his main role on the series was as an executive producer. The director is accused of touching the children on multiple occasions between November 2022 and spring 2024, police records show.

Busfield denied the allegations in a video shared online before he surrendered to authorities on Jan. 13.

"I'm going to confront these lies," the husband of *Little House on the Prairie* star Melissa Gilbert said in the footage obtained by TMZ. "They're horrible. They're all lies. And I did not do anything to those little boys, and I'm going to fight it. I'm going to fight it with a great team, and I'm going to be exonerated."

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The day after he surrendered to New Mexico authorities, Busfield was hit with another allegation of sexual abuse. In the pretrial detention motion viewed by EW, prosecutors allege that a father submitted a report to law enforcement in which he claimed that while auditioning a 16-year-old girl for a production at Sacramento's B Street Theatre, Busfield "kissed her and put his hands down her pants and touched her privates." Busfield founded the theater in 1986 under the name Theatre for Children.

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Busfield has denied all allegations and received dozens of letters of support that were presented as evidence during his pretrial hearing last month, including statements from his wife and various "colleagues, educators, parents, neighbors, and family" who have reportedly known Busfield "for years — and in many instances for decades."

Gilbert, who wed Busfield in 2013, rallied around her husband the day he turned himself in and has continued to stand by him in support.

Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield attend the 62nd Monte Carlo Television Festival in 2023.

VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty

"This is the strangest letter I've ever had to write," Gilbert wrote in her letter of support. "I began this letter with logic, but now the feelings have taken over. I can't help it. I only want this extraordinary man safe and whole. 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."

Busfield made his first appearance in a Bernalillo County court on Jan. 20, during which he did not enter a plea despite previously declaring his innocence.

During that hearing, a judge ruled that Busfield would not stay in custody prior to the start of his trial. The judge also ordered that Busfield have no unsupervised contact with any minors, refrain from consuming any alcohol or illegal drugs, and could not contact the alleged victims or their families.

If found guilty of the alleged child abuse, Busfield could face at least three to more years in state prison.**

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Source: Celebrity

Published: February 07, 2026 at 05:00AM on Source: MARIO MAG

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