Melissa Gilbert may be asked to appear in court at husband Timothy Busfield’s upcoming hearing.
The Little House on the Prairie alum, 61, was listed as a potential defense witness for a pretrial detention hearing scheduled for Tuesday, January 20, in court documents obtained by Us Weekly.
Busfield, 68, has been accused of inappropriately touching twin boys who he worked with on the set of The Cleaning Lady over a two- to three-year period. The complaint alleged Busfield had picked the boys up, tickled them and allegedly touched them in “private areas.”
During a police interview conducted last November, the former West Wing star told Officer Marvin Brown that he did not remember “overtly tickling” or picking up the children — although he stated it was “highly likely” that he came into physical contact with them at some point due to keeping 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 about it,” he allegedly said, according to the arrest warrant. “I don’t really remember picking those boys up. I remember picking up the boy who followed them. I’d pick him up and he’d be giggling and that would sort of get him ready to act.”
When asked whether there were rules about physical contact between adults and children on set, Busfield allegedly admitted that there was “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 subsequently charged with with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse.
He has denied all charges and reportedly took a polygraph test in hopes of proving his innocence.
Melissa Gilbert Getty
As Us previously reported, Gilbert wrote a character letter begging the judge presiding over the case to 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 Us on Friday, January 16. “He is my comfort and my council. His joy, humor and quick wit bring sparkle to my life. Tim is, quite simply, the beating heart of our wild and wonderful extended family.”
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One major component could make or break Timothy Busfield’s child sex abuse case. “The most decisive factor will be whether these boys were pressured or influenced by an adult to make allegedly false accusations against Busfield,” Dave Ring, partner at Taylor & Ring in Los Angeles, told Us Weekly exclusively. Ring, who specializes in child […]
“Your Honor, this is the strangest letter I’ve ever had to write. I only want this extraordinary man safe and whole,” she continued. “Please, please, take care of my sweet husband. As he is my protector, I am his, but I cannot protect him now and I think that, more than anything else, is what is truly breaking my heart, I am relying on [you] to protect him for me.”
Gilbert and Busfield met several times in the 1980s, but they didn’t spark a romance until 2012. The pair got married in April 2013.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
