A judge in New Mexico has thrown out a legal case against Timothy Busfield, known for his roles in “West Wing” and “Field of Dreams,” which accused him of criminal sexual contact with a child. The judge cited errors and misconduct by prosecutors that undermined the grand jury process for the dismissal.
The decision to dismiss the charges was made by State District Judge Joseph Montano after a defense motion was granted and announced on Friday. Busfield has consistently denied the allegations, claiming they are falsehoods driven by a desire for revenge.
It remains unclear whether prosecutors will pursue a new indictment in the case. The accusations stemmed from Busfield’s time directing the TV series “The Cleaning Lady” between 2022 and 2024. Parents of twin boys who were part of the show alleged that Busfield inappropriately touched the children on the set in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
According to a criminal complaint filed in January, one of the boys reported that Busfield touched him inappropriately on two occasions when he was seven and eight years old. The boy’s twin brother also claimed to have been touched by Busfield but did not provide specific details out of fear of getting into trouble.
Busfield surrendered himself and was released pending trial by a judge who found no history of similar accusations involving children in Busfield’s past. However, a grand jury indictment was issued shortly after, accusing Busfield of repeated inappropriate touching of one of the boys’ intimate parts.
Busfield’s legal team pointed out that initial police interviews with the children did not support the allegations and accused the boys’ parents of influencing their statements after the boys lost their roles on the show.
In June, Busfield’s attorneys requested the indictment be dismissed, alleging that prosecutors ignored the lack of evidence and obstructed the grand jury process. During a hearing in September, Busfield’s attorney presented audio recordings showing jurors requesting additional witnesses and argued that prosecutors had misled the jury about the availability of witnesses.
The defense argued that the prosecution engaged in severe misconduct, while the District Attorney countered that proper procedures were not followed by the defense in presenting evidence to the grand jury. Busfield testified during the proceedings, expressing the negative impact the case had on his life and career, vehemently denying the allegations against him.
Prosecutors had earlier stated that each count in the indictment carried a potential penalty of up to six years in prison.