ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge has dismissed an indictment against “West Wing” and “Field of Dreams” actor Timothy Busfield that accused him of criminal sexual contact with a child, citing prosecutorial misconduct and errors that undermined the grand jury process.
An investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department said a boy reported that Busfield touched him on his private areas over his clothing on one occasion when he was 7 years old and another time when he was 8, according to a criminal complaint filed in January. Busfield’s attorneys noted that the children told police during initial interviews that Busfield didn’t touch them inappropriately and accused the boys’ parents of coaching their children to give incriminating statements after the boys lost lucrative roles on the show. Because he didn’t want to get in trouble, the complaint said, the boy’s twin brother told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but he did not specify where and didn’t say anything.
Busfield has repeatedly denied the allegations, describing them as lies motivated by revenge. The parents of two twin boys who were let go from the show claimed that Busfield inappropriately touched the children on the set in Albuquerque. During a September hearing, Fayerberg played audio recordings of grand jurors asking to hear from additional witnesses.
In an email Friday, Busfield’s attorney Amanda Fayerberg said he was “relieved and grateful” after reading the judge’s decision. Prosecutors said Friday they had not yet decided whether to pursue another indictment. The case stems from when Busfield was directing the TV series “The Cleaning Lady” from 2022 to 2024. She said prosecutors wrongly informed jurors that subpoenas would be needed, even though those witnesses were “present, available and willing to testify. “The state engaged in egregious prosecutorial misconduct,” Fayerberg said.
