Melissa Gilbert asks judge to keep Timothy Busfield ‘safe’ in jail

Timothy Busfieldthe wife of Melissa Gilbertwrote an emotional letter asking a judge to keep her husband “safe” as he remains behind bars amid child sex abuse charges.

The Little house on the prairie The 61-year-old alum began her message by reflecting on how she met Busfield in the 1980s and eventually fell in love with him in 2012. The couple tied the knot in 2013 and have been married for almost 13 years.

“The reality is that Tim Busfield is my love, my rock, my partner in business and life,” she wrote, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly 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.”

Alleging that the West Wing The 68-year-old actor “has the strongest moral compass of any human being I’ve ever met,” further describing him as someone who “dedicated his spiritual self to always being of service to others” and who leads his life with “kindness and compassion.”

Gilbert also praised him as a father figure to his youngest son, Michael, whom he claimed Busfield “nurtured and guided” through his teenage years.

Near the conclusion of the letter, the 61-year-old woman lamented that she could no longer “protect” her husband at this difficult time.

“Your honor, this is the strangest letter I have ever had to write. I just want this extraordinary man safe and sound,” she said. “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.”

How we As previously reported, an arrest warrant was issued for Busfield’s arrest on Jan. 9 after he was accused of inappropriately touching two twin boys on the set of The cleaning woman. According to the complaint, the actor allegedly touched the child actors in their “private areas,” picked them up and tickled them on multiple occasions between 2022 and 2024.

Although Busfield admitted to police that it was “highly likely” he had come into physical contact with the boys on set, he denied all abuse charges and vowed to “confront” the “lies” allegedly told about him. Your lawyer, Larry Steinhe further alleged that his client had already “submitted to a independent polygraph examination regarding these allegations and approved”.

In a new motion to challenge his remand, his legal team claimed there were “no reliable evidence” to support the allegations against him.

“There are only allegations advanced by witnesses with a documented history of fraud and financial exploitation, contradicted by a thorough study investigation and refuted by witnesses and objective risk assessments,” the court documents obtained by Us stated. “The Constitution does not permit the loss of liberty on this basis. The state’s motion should be denied.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Helpline for children at 1-800-422-4453.