Timothy Busfield released from jail while awaiting trial for child sex abuse charges
The actor appeared before a New Mexico judge for a pretrial detention hearing on Tuesday
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Timothy Busfield has officially been released from custody while he awaits trial for multiple child sex abuse charges.
Busfield, 68, first appeared in front of a judge on Wednesday, Jan. 14, after he was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13) and one count of child abuse.
It us understood that the alleged abuse relates to two 11-year old boys who he met on the set of The Cleaning Lady.
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An arrest warrant had been issued for him on January 9 by the Albuquerque Police Department, prompting a nationwide manhunt, however, he surrendered himself to police voluntarily on January 13.
He has always strongly denied the charges and issued a video response to the media shortly before his surrender.
"They're all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys and I'm gonna fight it,” he said in the video. “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.”
Since the warrant was made public, a second accuser has also come forward, who alleges the actor abused a 16 year old girl back in 2001.
Again, Busfield has strongly denied these allegations, with his civil attorney Larry Stein stating the claims ‘were never challenged, they were never proved, and they’re 25 years old.’
The actor has since been remanded in custody while a judge determined whether he should remain behind bars until his court date or be released.
Prosecutors had initially wanted to detain him, but after a two-hour pretrial detention hearing in a San Bernalillo, New Mexico district court on Tuesday, Jan. 20, a judge ruled that the actor could be released pending trial.
"Given the lack of a pattern involving children in this case, I think that can be remedied through different conditions of release," the judge said in part while delivering his decision.
"I don't find that there's been sufficient presentation that this defendant may commit new crimes if released pending trial. There's no evidence of a pattern of criminal conduct. There are no similar allegations involving children in his past. There's no evidence of non-compliance with prior court orders."
"Rather, this defendant self-surrendered and submitted himself to this court's jurisdiction, demonstrating compliance with the court order for his arrest," the judge continued.
"I cannot find that the state has proven by clear and convincing evidence that there are no release conditions that would reasonably protect the safety of any younger person in the community."
As part of the conditions of his release, Busfield must appear for all his future court dates and is not allowed to possess any firearms or dangerous weapons, consume any alcohol or illegal drugs, have contact with the alleged victims or their families, discuss the case with any witnesses or have unsupervised contact with any minor children.
He has been granted permission to travel, but to do so must inform the court of his address and be under the supervision of Pretrial Services in New Mexico.
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.
Topics: Crime, Celebrity, US News, Sexual Abuse
Phoebe Tonks