(NewsNation) — Actor Timothy Busfield made his first appearance in court Wednesday, a day after turning himself in to authorities to face charges of child sex abuse.
According to a criminal complaint, two young actors allege that Busfield, 68, touched them inappropriately while on set filming the Fox series “The Cleaning Lady” from 2022 to 2024. His charges include two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse.
The court documents detail a pattern of grooming, in which Busfield would allegedly shower the children with gifts and praise, while also kissing, groping, and fondling the boys in a bedroom on set. They were 7 and 8 years old at the time.
Busfield appeared before Judge Felicia Blea-Rivera over Zoom from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Prosecutors filed an expedited motion for detention, which was granted. He will be held without bond pending a pretrial hearing to be set within the next five days. The deadline for the pretrial hearing is Jan. 29.
Best known for his roles in “Field of Dreams” and TV’s “The West Wing,” Busfield had previously shared his side of the story with detectives in November, suggesting the allegations were false and stemmed from the parents seeking “revenge” after their children were not brought back for the show’s final season.
Allegations are ‘deeply troubling’: Busfield’s lawyer
“Tim voluntarily appeared before New Mexico authorities after traveling across the country to confront these false and deeply troubling allegations. He is innocent and is determined to clear his name,” said Stanton Stein, an attorney for Busfield.
Stein described the allegations as “a calculated effort to construct a case, driven by animus not fact, despite prior investigations finding no evidence of wrongdoing,”
The prior investigation Stein is referring to was conducted by Warner Brothers amid reports of Busfield’s alleged misconduct on set, in which the investigator found no evidence of wrongdoing.
“Based on what was alleged, and all evidence gathered, including multiple witness statements, I found no corroborating evidence that Mr. Busfield engaged in inappropriate conduct or that he was ever alone with the twins on set,” attorney Christina McGovern, the investigator hired by Warner Bros., said in a statement.
In their filing, however, prosecutors argued that McGovern failed to speak with key witnesses.
Allegations are ‘all lies’: Busfield
“I’m gonna confront these lies. They’re horrible. They’re all lies, and I did not do anything to those little boys, and I’m gonna fight it,” Busfield said in a video shared with TMZ right before he turned himself in.
“I’m gonna fight with a great team, and I’m gonna be exonerated. I know I am because this is all so wrong and all lies, so hang in there, and hopefully, I’m out real soon and then back to work. I love everybody for supporting me,” he added.
Federal agents reportedly busted down the front door and raided Busfield’s home in upstate New York within 24 hours of his arrest.
Busfield faces additional allegations
Court documents also revealed additional allegation made against Busfield.
According to the pretrial motion, a father reported to authorities Jan. 13 that Busfield kissed his 16-year-old daughter and “put his hands down her pants, touching her private areas,” during an audition at B Street Theatre in Sacramento, which was co-founded by Busfield.
According to the documents, Busfield begged the family not to tell law enforcement if he received therapy. The father, a therapist, believed it was “the best thing to do” at the time.
The Associated Press and NewsNation local affiliate KTXL contributed to this report.