Timothy Busfield appears in court as New Mexico prosecutors seek pretrial detention over "history of alleged sexual misconduct"
Emmy Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield made his first court appearance on Wednesday, a day after turning himself in to authorities to face charges of child sex abuse stemming from allegations that he inappropriately touched a minor on the set of a TV series he was directing in New Mexico.Albuquerque police issued a warrant for his arrest last week 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 filmed in Albuquerque."Tim Busfield denies the allegations in the criminal complaint and maintains they are completely false," attorney Larry Stein said in a statement to CBS News.
"As a voluntary step, he submitted to an independent polygraph examination regarding those allegations and passed."The 68-year-old actor, who is married to actor Melissa Gilbert and is known for appearances in "The West Wing," "Field of Dreams" and "Thirtysomething," has vowed to fight the charges.In a video shared before turning himself in, Busfield called the allegations lies.Prosecutors are seeking to keep Busfield in custody pending trial, citing a "history of alleged sexual misconduct." They filed a motion early Wednesday detailing their reasons for the request, pointing to what they described as a documented pattern of sexual misconduct, abuse of authority and grooming behavior by Busfield over two decades.
They also said witnesses have expressed fear regarding retaliation and professional harm.Another allegation was reported to law enforcement the same day Busfield turned himself in, Albuquerque Deputy District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch told the judge Wednesday in a court filing.
A father of a then-16-year-old girl alleged Busfield kissed and inappropriately touched his daughter, who he said was auditioning for a role at B Street Theatre, an organization Busfield and his brother founded in Sacramento, California.The incident...