Timothy Busfield has turned himself into police after a warrant was issued Friday accusing him of sexual abuse of a minor. Busfield, who starred in Thirtysomething, The West Wing, and Field of Dreams, faces accusations that he touched a 7-year-old boy while directing episodes of the Fox show The Cleaning Lady. “Timothy Busfield has turned himself in at the Metro Detention Center,” said an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman in a statement. “He will be booked on his warrant.”
Police have been investigating the case since late 2024, after receiving a report from the child’s doctor. According to a police affidavit, the boy later told an investigator that Busfield had touched his “private areas” when they were on set, and that the incident recurred when he was eight years old.
The boy and his twin brother were actors on the show. The twin brother also reported that Busfield would touch his body during filming, but did not allege that the touching involved his private areas.
Busfield was interviewed by police in November, and said that he did not recall touching the boys.
“I don’t remember it, if it happened,” he said, according to the affidavit. “I don’t remember overtly tickling the boys ever, but it wouldn’t be uncommon for me.”
Busfield also said that he had heard that the boys’ mother wanted “revenge,” after the boys were not hired for the final season of the show. He reported that he had learned that from the lead actress, Elodie Yung, who declined to be interviewed by police.
In the affidavit, the Albuquerque police detective stated that Warner Bros. Television, which produced the show, had made it difficult to investigate the case. The studio insisted that any interviews with other minors in the case be arranged through the studio lawyer, and refused to turn over an internal investigation about Busfield until three months after police got a warrant for it.
The studio has declined to comment on those allegations.
-by Gene Maddaus
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