Gerrard Kaonga
Timothy Busfield has been accused of child sex abuse and could face a lengthy prison sentence if found guilty.
Earlier this week, actor and director Timothy Busfield handed himself into authorities after an arrest warrant was put out for him following accusations he had abused two 11-year-old twins he worked with on a TV show.
The Albuquerque Police Department issued an arrest warrant for the and a few days later confirmed on January 13 that he was now in police custody.
In a statement they said: “Timothy Busfield has turned himself in at the Metro Detention Center. He will be booked on his warrant."
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He has now been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse.
Prior to handing himself in, Busfield insisted he has committed not crimes and intends to prove his innocent.
In a video, obtained by TMZ, he said: "I got the call Friday night, I had to get a lawyer. Saturday I got in the car, drove 2,000 miles to Albuquerque. 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. I'm gonna fight it with a great team, and I'm gonna be exonerated, I know I am, because this is all so wrong and all lies."
The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office has since released a statement and revealed just how long Busfield could spend in prison, in the event he is convicted of his alleged crimes.
Under New Mexico law, the 68-year-old could serve a total of 15 years in prison if given the maximum sentence after being charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under 13. Each count carries up to six years in jail, and on top of this, he could face one count of child abuse earlier, as this carries up to three years in jail.
DA Sam Bregman held a press conference and spoke on the case, saying: “The DA’s office in Albuquerque takes very seriously these type of charges, just like we do all the cases. Our job is to hold people accountable and that’s what we do.”
He added: “I have personally tried cases of child abuse and sexual assault and … we hold everybody accountable and they are extremely serious.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.