Emmy-winning actor and director Timothy Busfield surrendered to New Mexico authorities on Tuesday to face child sexual abuse charges, four days after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Busfield, 68, turned himself in to Albuquerque police after the agency sought help from US marshals to locate him.
Busfield faces three criminal counts: two of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one of child abuse. The allegations involve two preteen boys he met on the set of the TV series The Cleaning Lady, which he directed and acted in. According to a police affidavit, the boys claim Busfield touched them inappropriately, with one alleging the contact was masked 'as play'. The child was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered nightmares about the director.
In a video statement to TMZ, Busfield denied the allegations, saying, 'I'm going to confront these lies – they're horrible. They're all lies, and I did not do anything to those little boys, and I'm going to fight it.' He said he learned of the charges on Friday night, hired an attorney, and drove 2,000 miles to surrender.
The police investigation began in November 2024 after a doctor at the University of New Mexico hospital reported the case. The boys' mother had contacted child protective services, alleging abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024. Busfield allegedly told police that the boys' mother wanted revenge, and he denied remembering 'overtly tickling the boys', though he said it was 'highly likely' he would have done so in the playful work environment.
Busfield's arrest warrant notes two previous sexual assault accusations: a 1994 claim by a 17-year-old extra on Little Big League, which was settled privately, and a 2012 allegation of fondling a 28-year-old woman in a cinema, which prosecutors declined to pursue. Warner Bros, which produced The Cleaning Lady, conducted its own investigation but could not corroborate the allegations.
