Actor Melissa Gilbert among witnesses at New Mexico detention hearing for husband Timothy Busfield

AP ^ | January 20, 2026 | AP Bitter LOSERS

[Diana in Wisconsin]

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Actor Melissa Gilbert could speak Tuesday at a New Mexico detention hearing for her husband, Emmy Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield, who faces child sex abuse charges stemming from allegations that he inappropriately touched a minor on a TV series set.

Busfield, who is known for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething,” was ordered held without bond last week at his first court appearance. Busfield called the allegations lies in a video shared before he turned himself in. Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls in the 1970s to ’80s TV series “Little House on the Prairie,” is on the list of potential witness submitted ahead of the hearing.

Albuquerque police issued a warrant for Busfield’s arrest earlier this month 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 series “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 7 years old and another time when he was 8. 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.

On Monday, Busfield’s attorneys submitted two brief audio recordings of initial police interviews in which the children say Busfield did not touch them in private areas. The attorneys in a court filing argue that the complaint characterizes the interviews as a failure to disclose abuse, but an “unequivocal denial is materially different from a mere absence of disclosure.”

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: abuse; busfield; gilbert; newmexico

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"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. into the allegations that found the allegations unfounded."

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Little Perv on the Prairie.

[Sarah Barracuda]

This Melissa Gilbert is a real piece of work..she “Stands by her husband” but gave gifts to alleged victims in order to keep their traps shut. Then she b*tches about Epstein when she was living with an Epstein in her own house

[E. Pluribus Unum]

“I say you touched me.”

“Prove me wrong.”

[House Atreides]

“…The filings detailed what the attorneys said was a history of fraud by both the boys’ father and mother….*
********************************

GREED Can be a powerful motivator.

[shelterguy]

It wouldn’t be the first time parents used their kids for an extortion scheme.

[Pontiac]

A criminal complaint alleges the acts occurred on the set of the series “The Cleaning Lady,” which was directed by Busfield

I never heard of the show, but then I don't watch much on regular TV for the last 30 years or so.

Hollyweird seems to be controlled by pedophiles for the last 70 years or more.

[Seruzawa]

It also wouldn’t be the first time parents purposefully allowed a perv to diddle their kid if it meant a career on TV.

[CedarDave]

“He said”, “She said.” For men, never be alone with a child in a work or sports relationship no matter how innocent the activity might appear to be. There are financial predators out there just as there are adult predators of children. So having another there or filming the entirety of the encounter is your only protection.

[CedarDave]

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[shelterguy]

It also wouldn’t be the first time parents made stuff up if it meant a career on TV.

[Glad2bnuts]

If he was not famous, he would already be considered guilty in the press.

[Third Person]

diddled for dollars

[Glad2bnuts]

How about body cams for all people working with children on the set. For that matter, cameras in all government school classrooms with audio?

[No name given]

And it won’t be the last either.

[No name given]

Excellent ideas.

[Whatever Works]

I don’t like Gilbert or Busfield, but that doesn’t mean he did it. The earlier charges were dropped years ago and then the parents came back with worse. Their precious kids did lose their the roles and threats were made. Busfield passed a polygraph.

Will we ever know the truth? Probably not. Hollywood is filled with sick people.... And parents who would do ANYTHING for their kids to be stars.

I had a kid in my class who got a role in A movie and wanted me to okay her progress in class to be eligible. She was failing, but the parents said it was such an opportunity. I yielded with provisions she do the work I provided. As soon as she got permission the kid and her parents smirked, laughed and never did it. The kid lost the part, never did the work and failed for the year. Nasty pieces of work... ALL of them liars.

The saddest part of this to me is the damage done to kids (if nothing happened but they’ve been made to believe it did) and Busfield’s reputation will never recover even if he is found innocent. He is DONE. So is Gilbert (for standing by him).

Whatever, the world is a dark and nasty place these days and this is small potatoes given what is happening every else.

[Organic Panic]

I always take these allegations with a grain of salt. Sexual assault allegations can be used to destroy anyone ‘the man’ wants destroyed. Look how many times they have tried to destroy Trump the same way. The democrats even went so far to eliminate Trump’s 5th amendment protections and retroactively, and temporarily, change the laws just so that psycho can sue him. So until proven beyond a reasonable doubt, regardless of who the accused is, I hold my judgement.

[Hot Tabasco]

IMHO, accusations like this should never be made public until all the facts and the legal outcome has been determined.

Too many lives have been destroyed simply by the accusation which turns out to be false.

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

If we only had a system that determined a person was innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.