Timothy Busfield Indictment on Child Sex Abuse Charges Thrown Out by Judge

A New Mexico judge on Friday threw out an indictment against actor Timothy Busfield, finding that prosecutors failed to act in an impartial manner during the grand jury proceedings. Busfield was indicted in February on charges of groping a 7-year-old boy on the set of “The Cleaning Lady,” a Fox show on which he worked as a director. He maintains his innocence.

In his ruling, Judge Joseph Montano found that prosecutors had impeded grand jurors who wanted to hear from defense witnesses. Some eight potential witnesses were sitting in the hallway outside, but were not called to appear. Busfield, best known as a star of “The West Wing” and “Thirtysomething,” was accused of groping a boy who worked as a child actor on “The Cleaning Lady” in 2022.

In an interview with investigators, Busfield said that the boys’ parents were seeking “revenge” after the boys were not hired for the show’s final season. Busfield’s attorneys had him take a polygraph test, which he passed. TV, which produced the show, conducted its own investigation after a separate allegation was raised through SAG-AFTRA in late 2024.

The WBTV investigation was unable to substantiate the claim. Busfield and an Albuquerque police detective were the only two witnesses to appear before the grand jury. During his testimony, Busfield cited the WBTV investigation and said that other witnesses would be able to testify.

According to the ruling, some of the grand jurors asked to hear from additional witnesses on three occasions. However, the prosecutor told them that at least eight of them would have to agree in order for a subpoena to be issued, and that all 12 would have to return on a later date to hear that testimony. The judge stated that no such requirements exist, noting that the witnesses were in the hall.

The judge found that this had “the practical effect of unilaterally withholding witnesses requested by the grand jurors.” “These actions are not in line with either the letter or the spirit of the grand jury laws,” Montano concluded. Amber Feyerberg, Busfield’s attorney, said that he is “relieved and grateful today.” “The grand jurors kept asking to hear from the people who were on set with him,” she said. The prosecution would not let them in, and the Court saw that for what it was: a violation of the grand jury laws that protect the integrity of our justice system.