Actor Timothy Busfield has surrendered himself to authorities after a nationwide manhunt was launched to apprehend him in connection with allegations of child sexual abuse.
The West Wing actor is alleged to have inappropriately touched 11 year-old-twin boys on the set of The Cleaning Lady, which Busfield appeared in and also directed.
As well as one count of child abuse, the actor is facing two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor.
Authorities initially launched a manhunt for Busfield last week after the Albuquerque Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest and the actor’s whereabouts remained unknown for several days.
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However, as of Tuesday January 13, following the U.S. Marshals Service joining the search, Busfield surrendered himself voluntarily to the New Mexico police.
"Timothy Busfield has turned himself in at the Metro Detention Center. He will be booked on his warrant," Gilbert Gallegos, Director of Communications for Albuquerque Police Department, confirmed in a statement.
The actor also denied all allegations against him and issued a video attempting to clear his name and professing his innocence. In the video, that was obtained by TMZ, he said: "I did not do anything wrong.”
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"Hi everybody, it's Tim," the video began. "I'm sure most of you know, that are watching this, that I was ordered to come to Albuquerque – I'm here now. 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."
He continued, "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."
He concluded by saying. "So hang in there and hopefully I'm out real soon and back to work. I love everybody for supporting me, thank you."
The criminal allegations against Busfield date back to Nov. 1, 2024, after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) alerted police about alleged sexual abuse.
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According to the warrant, the parents of the children said that they would frequently refer to Busfield as 'Uncle Tim'.
An affidavit stated: "The boys advised that Timothy Busfield, whom they referred to as 'Uncle Tim', would tickle them on the stomach and legs. Neither boy cared for the tickling.’
One of the boys also allegedly informed his therapist that Bushfield had ‘touched and rubbed his penis 3 or 4 times’.
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The youngster was later diagnosed with moderate post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety following claims of ‘inappropriate touching.’
According to the warrant, Busfield denied the allegations against him and allegedly told police that the parents were upset their sons had been replaced with a younger actor who auditioned.
The actor also alleged that he'd been told by an actress on the show that the mother of the alleged victims ‘wanted revenge,’ per the warrant.
Considering the seriousness of the claims, Warner Bros launched an internal review and began to investigate.
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Following the conclusion of this internal investigation, it was documented that an individual ‘claimed to have witnessed the incident in the Hair and Make-Up trailer, executive producer/director Tim Busfield entered and kissed a minor male on the face as the minor was getting a haircut’ in December 2024.
In a statement to UNILAD, Warner Bros said they 'will continue to cooperate with law enforcement' following Busfield's arrest warrant.
They added in a statement: "The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our top priority, especially the safety of minors on our productions. We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and have systems in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate, and when needed, take appropriate action."
UNILAD has previously reached out to Busfield's representatives for comment.
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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.
Phoebe Tonks