Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert was seen weeping with joy on Tuesday when a judge in New Mexico let her husband walk free ahead of a trial on child sex abuse charges.
Busfield, 68, has been accused of inappropriately touching twin 11 year old boys – identified only as VL and SL in court documents – on the set of The Cleaning Lady, which he directed.
The West Wing star has vehemently denied the allegations, and following a lengthy pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, Judge David A Murray ruled that he could be released on his own recognizance.
While the judge said that the allegations against Busfield are ‘inherently dangerous,’ he did not find that the actor was a danger to the community, as he had no prior criminal history.
The other allegations made against Busfield over the past 30 years have also not been vetted by the judicial system.
Under his release, Busfield must now agree to return to court in New Mexico, remain in contact with court officials.
He also cannot engage in any criminal conduct, partake in any alcohol or drugs and can have no contact with children under the age of 18, or the alleged victims.
As the judge handed down the ruling, Gilbert was seen in the gally with her hands clutched together as she cried with joy.
Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert was seen weeping with joy as her husband, Timothy Busfield, was released on his own recognizance Tuesday
Busfield, 68, has been accused of inappropriately touching twin 11 year old boys – identified only as VL and SL in court documents – on the set of The Cleaning Lady, which he directed
The mother-of-two had arrived nearly an hour before the hearing was due to start and looked glum-faced as she made her way into court flanked by a posse of lawyers.
She was on-brand in a prairie-inspired outfit composed of a paisley dress, a velvet blazer and tan suede boots.
Despite her early arrival, Gilbert showed up in the courtroom just moments before her husband arrived for the hearing.
She appeared composed as she made her way inside flanked by friends and supporters – among them Busfield’s brother Buck who she was seen greeting with a quick kiss on the cheek.
But the gravity of the legal situation now facing Busfield seemed to dawn on her when he was brought in by three burly deputies.
A shuffling Busfield – with noticeably disheveled hair – glanced briefly at his devoted wife before seating himself next to his lawyers.
Gilbert was then heard nervously asking a male friend ‘do you think it will be ok’? – with the man then slinging his arm around her shoulders and replying ‘it’ll be ok’.’
Stone-faced Melissa Gilbert was seen walking into her husband’s pretrial hearing on Tuesday, arriving nearly an hour early before it was due to start
The mom-of-two appeared composed as she made her way inside, flanked by friends and supporters, including Busfield’s brother Buck (back left), whom she greeted with a quick kiss on the cheek
Busfield, with noticeably disheveled hair, glanced briefly at his devoted wife before seating himself next to his lawyers
As opening statements began, Busfield was visibly squirming while the prosecution presented their criminal complaint, arguing he was ‘dangerous’ and should not be granted bail.
Prosecutors claimed Busfield had a ‘pattern of touching’ and alleged that both child actors – identified only as VL and SL in court documents – showed signs of grooming, telling police they had been touched by him while interacting with him on set, often when alone.
The parents of 11-year-old twins reportedly discovered the abuse after seeing social media posts calling out Busfield’s alleged history.
When asked if they had experienced anything ‘uncomfortable,’ the boys allegedly said, ‘Like with Uncle Tim?’
At one point during the prosecutor’s presentation, Busfield appeared to zone out but snapped back into focus with an annoyed look when the one twin’s bedwetting behaviors were mentioned and suggested to be the result of the alleged abuse.
There were a further four incidents described by prosecutors of unwanted touching allegedly perpetrated by Busfield – including incidents that included a former personal assistant and an actress filming a show with the veteran star.
Gilbert and families sit with sullen faces in the gallery as they listen to the prosecutor’s argument to keep Busfield in prison ahead of his child abuse trial
On the flipside, Busfield arrived a few minutes later, handcuffed and disheveled
Cumulatively, prosecutors said, that showed Busfield to be ‘dangerous’ and ‘unlikely to abide by the conditions of release’ while his lawyers were dismissed as attempting to smear the parents of the twin male victims as engaged in a money grabbing exercise.
Prosecutors also referenced an interview Busfield’s lawyer gave to TMZ, in which they claimed he had taken and passed a polygraph test.
They argued this was an example of the actor complying with the investigation on his own terms, citing his decision to drive 20-hours to turn himself in rather than fly.
Busfield’s defense, though, has argued that state’s case was ‘flawed.’
They played audio from one witness cited in the criminal complaint, who they said called Busfield and Gilbert personally to claim her comments were misconstrued and taken out of context.
The lawyer went on to argue that Busfield’s willingness to turn himself in showed he was serious about the criminal case.
She also pointed out that the twins not only didn’t disclose they had been touched by Busfield, but ‘denied it had happened’ it to police during their interview.
‘If the boys said this never happened, why are we here?’ the lawyer asked.
She then went on to argue that the twins’ parents are ‘con artists,’ who only claimed their children were sexually assaulted after Warner Bros said it found no evidence of sexual assault and they would not be paid.
She cited one witness, who said the parents were ‘visibly upset’ that the twins would not be back on the show, and argued that the children ‘were victimized by their own parents’ who took the money they made from the television show.
But a prosecutor then shot back that it is an ‘easy defense’ to blame the parents, even though the children disclosed the alleged sexual assault several times.
She also argued that it is difficult to coach the children, and asked why they would put themselves in a position to be ridiculed.
Busfield turned himself in to authorities in New Mexico on January 13 amid the allegations
Appearing for the defense, witnesses Alan Caudillo – who worked on The Hangover and was the Director of Photography for The Cleaning Lady – said he never saw Busfield tickle or cuddle the boys involved and described their father as ‘creepy’ and an ‘aggressive set parent’.
He was asked whether it would have been possible for Busfield to touch a child on set. Caudillo replied, ‘No,’ explaining that the set is highly regimented and that children are always surrounded by at least 10 people while working.
Caudillo added that it seemed strange when the twins’ father ‘forced’ his kids to hug him or other set members if they missed a high five, insisting he would ‘never force his kids to hug anyone.’
At the end of his cross-examination by the prosecution, Caudillo revealed that he had been personally asked to write an affidavit in Busfield’s defense by Gilbert – who he said contacted him after the criminal complaint was filed and sent the subsequent document on to her husband’s legal team.
Busfield first appeared in court in New Mexico on felony child sex abuse charges on January 14 where the judge told him he’d be held without bond until his pretrial hearing on Tuesday
Flanked by an entourage of lawyers, the Little House on the Prairie actress, 61, wore a prairie-inspired outfit composed of a paisley dress, a velvet blazer and tan suede boots
The Little House on the Prairie actress, 61, has kept a low profile since Busfield, 68, handed himself into Albuquerque cops last week.
Earlier today, TMZ reported on audio shared by Busfield’s attorneys that showed the two child actors, who were allegedly inappropriately touched by Busfield, denied he ever touched their genitals when first questioned by cops in November 2024.
Busfield’s attorneys submitted the audio of the boys’ first police interview to court in New Mexico on Monday and claimed in their filing that it was proof of an ‘unequivocal denial’ to the allegations against the actor.
In the alleged audio, the twin boys, referred to only as VL and SL in court documents, were asked by an officer: ‘So, you know what is right and wrong, right? You know no one can touch your private areas?’
One boy responded: ‘Yeah, but he doesn’t touch those parts.’
The second boy responded: ‘No, he’s never touched me… never.’
Since his arrest, West Wing star Timothy Busfield has spent the week at the city’s Metropolitan Detention Center, confined to the Restrictive Housing Unit (RHU), a specially secured section for inmates needing extra protection.
The veteran actor has been hit with multiple counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor plus one child abuse charge.
Gilbert had stayed silent about her third husband’s plight and had continued to post cozy videos on the social media pages for her lifestyle brand Modern Prairie, while removing her personal Instagram account.
The pretrial hearing where Busfield and Gilbert will find out if he’ll be released on place is being held at the Bernalillo County Courthouse
West Wing star Timothy Busfield has been locked up all week at the Metropolitan Detention Center, confined to the jail’s Restrictive Housing Unit, reserved for inmates needing extra protection
But last Friday, she made an impassioned plea for Busfield’s release in a letter submitted to a New Mexico judge ahead of a hearing to determine whether the actor will be sprung from his jail cell or left to languish in the slammer.
Writing to Judge Murphy, the thrice-married star said: ‘The reality is that Tim Busfield is my love, my rock, my partner in business and life.
‘He is my comfort and my council. His joy, humor and quick wit bring sparkle to my life. Tim is, quite simply, the beating heart of our wild and wonderful extended family.’
‘I can tell you, and anyone, that I know Tim better and more intimately than anything in his life ever has. Conversely, he knows me in the same way.
‘Tim has the strongest moral compass of any human I have ever known. He has dedicated his spiritual self to always being of service to others. He starts every day with kindness and compassion.’
She added: ‘I am trying to tow [sic] a line between logic and all the feelings swirling through me.
Gilbert penned a letter to the judge, which was submitted to the court last Friday, in which she complimented her spouse on a number of fronts
Heavily armed US Marshals were seen descending on the secluded Catskills home of Timothy Busfield and Melissa Gilbert, smashing through the front door with a battering ram during a dramatic raid on January 13
At least ten officers in helmets, shields, and tactical gear stormed the $300,000 upstate New York retreat less than an hour after Gilbert’s husband Timothy Busfield surrendered to police 2,000 miles away
Marshals searched the interior of the house for around ten minutes before checking the rear of the property, which includes an RV and an outhouse
‘I began this letter with logic, but now the feelings have taken over. I can’t help it. I only want this extraordinary man safe and whole.
‘So, I will close by asking you to please, please, take care of my sweet husband. As he is my protector, I am his, but I cannot protect him now and I think that, more than anything else, is what is truly breaking my heart, I am relying on you to protect him for me.’
Embarrassingly for Gilbert, details of her sex life were shared in court papers filed ahead of the release hearing as part of a sex offender risk evaluation.
The documents included his answers to a series of uncomfortable questions and noted: ‘Mr. Busfield reports he and his current wife have a satisfying sex life and at their ages they simply enjoy one another’s company and cuddling more often than engaging in sexual intercourse’.
It added: ‘Mr. Busfield’s wife confirms his statements about a satisfying sexual relationship between them.’
News of Busfield’s legal woes first emerged on January 9 when the Albuquerque PD issued an arrest warrant for him over allegations that he molested twin 11-year-old boys during filming in 2022 for FOX drama series The Cleaning Lady.
Busfield could face up to 15 years in custody if convicted on all counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor plus one child abuse charge
According to Busfield’s warrant, the children initially did not tell police that the West Wing star touched them inappropriately, but in October 2025 their mom reported to Child Protective Services that one of her children told a therapist that Busfield did.
The child told a therapist that Busfield touched his ‘genitalia’ and ‘bottom’ while in a bedroom on the set of the TV show The Cleaning Lady, according to the affidavit.
Busfield, who has denied the charges against him, then vanished for several days – only to re-emerge in New Mexico on January 13 where he handed himself in having driven 2,000-miles from his upstate New York cabin.
He was officially charged the same day and made his first appearance on January 14 – and was seen looking glum in an orange prison jumpsuit while the counts were read out.
Busfield has denied all the charges against him and told TMZ, in a video sent to the outlet while he was on the way to surrender, that he is ‘devastated’ by the allegations.
