Melissa Gilbert the husband can be asked to appear in court Timothy Busfieldnext hearing
The Little house on the prairie alum, 61, was listed as a potential defense witness for a pretrial detention hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 20, in court documents obtained by Us Weekly.
Busfield, 68, has been accused of inappropriately touching two twins with whom he worked on the set The cleaning woman for a period of two to three years. The complaint alleged that Busfield had picked up the boys, tickled them and touched them in “private areas.”
During a police interview conducted last November, the first West Wing the star told the officer Marvin Brown that he did not recall “overtly tickling” or picking up the children, although he stated that it was “very likely” that he would at some point come into physical contact with them due to maintaining a “playful” environment on set.
“I’m always around people, right? It would be, you know, in front of the parents. There would never be a weird moment,” he allegedly said, according to the arrest warrant. “I don’t really remember picking up those guys. I remember picking up the guy who was following them. I’d pick him up and he’d laugh and that would get him ready to act.”
When asked if there were rules about physical contact between adults and children on set, Busfield allegedly admitted that there were “no protocol.”
On January 9, authorities in New Mexico issued a warrant for the director’s arrest. On January 13, Busfield turned himself in and was later charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse.
He has denied all charges and has taken a polygraph test in hopes of proving his innocence.
Melissa Gilbert
GettyHow we previously reported, Gilbert wrote a character letter asking the judge presiding over the case keep her husband “safe” as he awaits his next court appearance from the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center in New Mexico.
“The reality is that Tim Busfield is my love, my rock, my partner in business and life,” she said in the letter obtained by we on Friday, January 16. “He is my comfort and my counsel. His joy, humor and quick wit brighten my life. Tim is, quite simply, the beating heart of our wild and extended family.”
One major component could make or break Timothy Busfield’s child sexual abuse case. “The most deciding factor will be whether these boys were pressured or influenced by an adult to make the allegedly false allegations against Busfield,” Dave Ring, a partner at Taylor & Ring in Los Angeles, told Us Weekly exclusively. Ring, specialized in children (…)
“Your honor, this is the strangest letter I have ever had to write. I just want this extraordinary man safe and sound,” she continued. “Please, please, take care of my sweet husband. As he is my protector, I am his, but I can’t protect him now and I think that more than anything else is what really breaks my heart, I trust (you) to protect him for me.”
Gilbert and Busfield met several times in the 1980s, but did not spark a romance until 2012. The couple married in April 2013.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Helpline for children at 1-800-422-4453.