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Tag: B Street Theatre

  • Timothy Busfield faces new sex abuse accusation as he appears in court

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    Timothy Busfield made a first appearance in New Mexico court Wednesday as prosecutors detailed a new sexual abuse accusation against the Emmy-winning actor.

    Busfield, 68, has been charged with two felony counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and a single count of child abuse for allegedly inappropriately touching two child actors while he worked as a director and executive producer on the Fox drama “The Cleaning Lady,” filmed in Albuquerque. He was held without bond pending a hearing on a motion for pretrial detention.

    In that motion, prosecutors argued Busfield should be jailed pending trial due to what they called “a sustained pattern of predatory conduct” that they said dated to at least 1994. That year, a 17-year-old extra on the film “Little Big League” accused Busfield of sexually assaulting her in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court that was later settled privately, the motion states.

    Most recently, a man named Colin Swift reported to law enforcement on Tuesday that, years ago, Busfield sexually abused Swift’s then-16-year-old daughter during an audition at B Street Theatre in Sacramento, the motion states. Swift alleged that Busfield begged the family to not report the abuse to law enforcement if he received therapy, and they initially agreed, the filing states.

    No charges have been filed against Busfield in connection with that incident.

    Busfield founded B Street Theatre as a touring company called Theatre for Children Inc. in 1986, according to its website. Although he is listed as an emeritus board member, he has not participated in the organization since 2001, and the incident recently reported to police is alleged to have taken place there about 25 years ago, according to a statement from B Street Theatre. The theater has retained legal counsel to conduct an internal investigation, the statement said.

    Prosecutors allege Busfield’s conduct “reflects a calculated pattern of grooming, lack of boundaries, and exploitation of professional authority to gain access to minors,” according to the motion for pretrial detention. Witnesses have said they fear retaliation and career harm for speaking out against him, demonstrating “how individuals in positions of power are able to silence victims and witnesses, allowing abuse to persist unchecked,” they wrote.

    A representative for Busfield could not be reached Wednesday. His attorney Stanton “Larry” Stein previously said in a statement that the actor is innocent and “determined to clear his name.” He also referenced an affidavit in which Busfield suggested to investigators that the child actors’ mother might have sought “revenge” on the director for “not bringing her kids back for the final season.”

    The actor, known for his work on television series “The West Wing” and “Thirtysomething,” turned himself in Tuesday, which prosecutors allege was five days after he knew a judge had issued a warrant for his arrest. During that time, Busfield traveled from New York to New Mexico to avoid the extradition process and surrender at a convenient time, the motion alleges.

    He was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque, where he remained Wednesday.

    Busfield is accused of inappropriately touching the two child actors, who are brothers, on the set of “The Cleaning Lady,” according to an affidavit. Their mother reported the abuse took place from November 2022 to spring 2024, according to the complaint. Police launched an investigation in November 2024 after being notified of the alleged abuse by a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital.

    According to prosecutors, “Cleaning Lady” producer Warner Bros. conducted an investigation into Busfield’s behavior in February 2025 after the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists hotline fielded an anonymous complaint that the director entered a trailer on the set and kissed a 6-year-old boy on the face while he was getting a haircut. Another caller to the hotline claimed that, in September 2024, Busfield asked a parent to wait outside and took a minor — one of the alleged victims in the New Mexico case — behind closed doors for an audition at the Cinelease Studios office in Albuquerque, according to the motion.

    A third-party investigator retained by Warner Bros., however, found no evidence that Busfield had been alone with the brothers on set or engaged in other inappropriate conduct, according to a statement from the investigator released by Stein, Busfield’s attorney. But the investigator failed to speak with one of the victims and his parents, as well as key witnesses, prosecutors allege in the motion.

    Warner Bros. Television said in a statement that it takes all misconduct allegations seriously and has cooperated with law enforcement by expediting the sharing of the report by its third-party investigator, which it could have withheld as privileged. The studio has a clear non-retaliation policy to ensure employees feel comfortable reporting concerns, the statement said. “Our top priority is the health and safety of our cast and crew across all productions,” it said.

    Busfield, who is married to actor Melissa Gilbert, was also accused of battery in March 2012 by a 28-year-old woman who said he sexually assaulted her in a Los Angeles movie theater, but prosecutors declined to file charges due to “slim evidence,” according to the motion for pretrial detention.

    The hearing on the motion, during which a judge will decide whether Busfield remains in jail, will be scheduled in 2nd Judicial District Court in Albuquerque within the next five business days, said Camille Cordova, a public information officer for the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court.

    Before he surrendered, Busfield recorded a video at his attorney’s office in which he denied the allegations. “I’m gonna confront these lies,” he said in the video published by TMZ, “they’re horrible.”

    Prosecutors called the move “troubling” and said it demonstrated “a willingness to prioritize personal narrative control and public relations” over complying with court processes.

    Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.

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    Alex Wigglesworth

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  • Timothy Busfield faced allegation of sexual abuse against teen at B Street Theatre, court docs say

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    Emmy Award-winning actor and director Timothy Busfield is facing a new allegation of sexual abuse from his time in Sacramento, according to court documents.The allegation appeared in court documents filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court in New Mexico that argue Busfield should be detained before trial in a child sex case there because of Busfield’s alleged history of sexual misconduct. In New Mexico, Busfield faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse that stem from allegations of inappropriate touching of twin child actors while he was directing the series “The Cleaning Lady.” Busfield called the allegations against him “lies” in a video shared with TMZ. He made an initial court appearance Wednesday and a hearing about whether he should continue to be detained before trial will take place within five business days. His attorney told Hearst station KOAT that, “Tim Busfield denies the allegations in the criminal complaint and maintains they are completely false. As a voluntary step, he submitted to an independent polygraph examination regarding those allegations and passed.” According to the new court documents, a man told law enforcement Tuesday that Busfield sexually abused his daughter “several years ago.”While auditioning before Busfield at Sacramento’s B Street Theatre when she was 16 years old, the teen reported that Busfield “kissed her, put his hands down her pants and touched her privates,” the documents say. “The defendant begged the family to not report to law enforcement if he received therapy,” the documents say. The father, “a therapist himself thought at the time that was the best thing to do,” the documents say. KCRA 3 is not naming the man at this time because it could identify the daughter. But KCRA 3’s Cecil Hannibal spoke to the father, who said the incident that changed the trajectory of his daughter’s life happened back in 1999. The father said that he was at a meeting with Busfield where, “this guy’s crying, he’s showing remorse. He’s, he’s, he’s, apologizing. … And so I said, basically, ‘I’ll tell you what,’ you know, he was he was basically begging me not to go to the police.”The father said he now regrets not having gone to the police at the time. Busfield is the co-founder, along with his brother Buck, of the B Street Theatre. They also established the Fantasy Theater.The B Street Theatre released a statement on Tuesday before the new allegations surfaced. That statement noted that the allegations in New Mexico “did not occur at B Street Theatre, nor do they involve any activity connected with our organization, its staff, or our programs.”“Mr. Busfield does not have any role presently with B Street Theatre,” the statement said. “He was a co-founder of the theatre but has not served in any capacity since 2001. He is listed on our website as an emeritus member of the board, however he has not attended a board meeting in that capacity since 2001.”KCRA 3 again reached out to the B Street Theatre for comment, along with Sacramento police, about the new allegation. In an updated statement, the B Street Theatre said it was aware of “an incident alleged to have occurred at B Street Theatre approximately 25 years ago.””B Street Theatre retained legal counsel at the time to conduct an internal investigation, and Mr. Busfield has not had any role in the organization since 2001,” the statement said. The New Mexico court documents also mention other allegations against Busfield that have been previously reported. One incident, a 1994 allegation of sexual assault against an 17-year-old extra on “Little Big League,” led to a private settlement. Busfield was later ordered to pay attorney costs after he countersued for defamation and the case was tossed. Another allegation of sexual battery at a LA movie theater involving a 28-year-old woman did not lead to prosecution over slim evidence, according to the court documents. Busfield is best known for his appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams,” “Thirtysomething” and “Revenge of the Nerds.” He is listed as an actor, director or producer on more than 100 projects, according to IMDB. Busfield was also inducted into the Sacramento Area Baseball Hall of Fame after pitching for the Sacramento Smokeys. An NBC spokesperson said that the network has pulled an episode of “Law & Order: SVU” featuring Busfield that was supposed to air this week. Busfield is now married to actress Melissa Gilbert, from “Little House on the Prarie.” Gilbert’s publicist said she would not talk about her husband’s case while the legal process unfolds. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    Emmy Award-winning actor and director Timothy Busfield is facing a new allegation of sexual abuse from his time in Sacramento, according to court documents.

    The allegation appeared in court documents filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court in New Mexico that argue Busfield should be detained before trial in a child sex case there because of Busfield’s alleged history of sexual misconduct.

    In New Mexico, Busfield faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse that stem from allegations of inappropriate touching of twin child actors while he was directing the series “The Cleaning Lady.”

    Busfield called the allegations against him “lies” in a video shared with TMZ. He made an initial court appearance Wednesday and a hearing about whether he should continue to be detained before trial will take place within five business days.

    His attorney told Hearst station KOAT that, “Tim Busfield denies the allegations in the criminal complaint and maintains they are completely false. As a voluntary step, he submitted to an independent polygraph examination regarding those allegations and passed.”

    According to the new court documents, a man told law enforcement Tuesday that Busfield sexually abused his daughter “several years ago.”

    While auditioning before Busfield at Sacramento’s B Street Theatre when she was 16 years old, the teen reported that Busfield “kissed her, put his hands down her pants and touched her privates,” the documents say.

    “The defendant begged the family to not report to law enforcement if he received therapy,” the documents say.

    The father, “a therapist himself thought at the time that was the best thing to do,” the documents say.

    KCRA 3 is not naming the man at this time because it could identify the daughter. But KCRA 3’s Cecil Hannibal spoke to the father, who said the incident that changed the trajectory of his daughter’s life happened back in 1999.

    The father said that he was at a meeting with Busfield where, “this guy’s crying, he’s showing remorse. He’s, he’s, he’s, apologizing. … And so I said, basically, ‘I’ll tell you what,’ you know, he was he was basically begging me not to go to the police.”

    The father said he now regrets not having gone to the police at the time.

    Busfield is the co-founder, along with his brother Buck, of the B Street Theatre. They also established the Fantasy Theater.

    The B Street Theatre released a statement on Tuesday before the new allegations surfaced.

    That statement noted that the allegations in New Mexico “did not occur at B Street Theatre, nor do they involve any activity connected with our organization, its staff, or our programs.”

    “Mr. Busfield does not have any role presently with B Street Theatre,” the statement said. “He was a co-founder of the theatre but has not served in any capacity since 2001. He is listed on our website as an emeritus member of the board, however he has not attended a board meeting in that capacity since 2001.”

    KCRA 3 again reached out to the B Street Theatre for comment, along with Sacramento police, about the new allegation.

    In an updated statement, the B Street Theatre said it was aware of “an incident alleged to have occurred at B Street Theatre approximately 25 years ago.”

    “B Street Theatre retained legal counsel at the time to conduct an internal investigation, and Mr. Busfield has not had any role in the organization since 2001,” the statement said.

    The New Mexico court documents also mention other allegations against Busfield that have been previously reported.

    One incident, a 1994 allegation of sexual assault against an 17-year-old extra on “Little Big League,” led to a private settlement. Busfield was later ordered to pay attorney costs after he countersued for defamation and the case was tossed.

    Another allegation of sexual battery at a LA movie theater involving a 28-year-old woman did not lead to prosecution over slim evidence, according to the court documents.

    Busfield is best known for his appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams,” “Thirtysomething” and “Revenge of the Nerds.”

    He is listed as an actor, director or producer on more than 100 projects, according to IMDB.

    Busfield was also inducted into the Sacramento Area Baseball Hall of Fame after pitching for the Sacramento Smokeys.

    An NBC spokesperson said that the network has pulled an episode of “Law & Order: SVU” featuring Busfield that was supposed to air this week.

    Busfield is now married to actress Melissa Gilbert, from “Little House on the Prarie.” Gilbert’s publicist said she would not talk about her husband’s case while the legal process unfolds.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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