Timothy Busfield can be released pending trial, judge rules

‘West Wing’ actor Timothy Busfield turns himself in

We are getting more information tonight as actor Timothy Busfield turns himself in to authorities after a warrant was issued for his arrest on child sex abuse charges. "Timothy Busfield has turned himself in at the Metro Detention Center," Gilbert Gallegos, director of communications for the Albuquerque Police Department, said. "He will be booked on his warrant." According to a criminal complaint from the Albuquerque Police Department, the abuse allegedly happened on the set of "The Cleaning Lady," a show where Busfield directed and acted. LiveNOW’s Mike Pache is learning more with TMZ’s Branson Quirke as the story develops.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A judge has ordered that actor Timothy Busfield be released from jail during a detention hearing on child sex abuse charges.

The order Tuesday by state district court Judge David Murphy is linked to accusations that Busfield inappropriately touched a minor while working as a director on the set of the series "The Cleaning Lady."

Timothy Busfield to be released from jail

Big picture view:

At the hearing Tuesday, Busfield was handcuffed and dressed in an orange jail uniform at the hearing in a New Mexico state district court, while wife and actor Melissa Gilbert watched from the court gallery.

Gilbert was tearful while exiting the courtroom after the judge ordered Busfield’s release.

The judge ordered that the defendant be released on his own recognizance, pending trial. Busfield will be supervised upon release by a pretrial service in Albuquerque, and can leave the state to live at home, the judge said.

Timothy Busfield turns himself in after warrant issued for his arrest

Timeline:

Last week, Busfield turned himself into authorities days after a warrant was issued for his arrest on child sex abuse charges.

Busfield was held without bond. Busfield called the allegations lies in a video shared before he turned himself in.

Director and actor Timothy Busfield looks on before a hearing in the Second District Judicial Court at the Bernalillo County Courthouse on January 20, 2026 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Credit: Sam Wasson/Getty Images)

New Mexico authorities issued the arrest warrant for Busfield on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor.

Police documents say a boy reported Busfield touching him inappropriately, first when he was 7 years old and again when he was 8. The child said Busfield touched him multiple times between November 2022 and spring 2024.

The child has reportedly been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. The child told a social worker that he has nightmares about Busfield touching him and wakes up scared.

The child was reportedly afraid to tell anyone because Busfield was the director, and he was scared.

The investigation began in November 2024, when the investigator responded to a call from a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital. The child’s parents had gone there at the recommendation of a law firm, the complaint said.