Timothy Busfield has officially entered a plea of not guilty in his child sex abuse case, according to multiple media reports Saturday.
The “Thirtysomething” star faces four felony counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor, charges that were approved by a grand jury in New Mexico on Feb. 6 and entered on Feb. 11. During that hearing, Busfield’s lawyers asked to waive his arraignment; a judge this week approved his absence from that and other pretrial hearings, triggering his not-guilty plea’s entry in court.
Busfield, who was released from custody last month, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. The third-degree felonies stem from allegations from October 2022 and September 2023, when Busfield was directing two child actors on the set of “The Cleaning Lady.”
Representatives for Busfield did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. As Busfield has been excused from pretrial hearings, his legal team will appear in court on March 10 for a scheduling conference.
A warrant for Busfield’s arrest was issued Jan. 9, after allegations that he had inappropriate sexual contact with two 11-year-old boys while he served on the show as director and executive producer. He surrendered to authorities on Jan. 13.
“I’m going to confront these lies,” the “West Wing” star said at the time. “They’re horrible. They’re all lies. And I did not do anything to those little boys, and I’m going to fight it. I’m going to fight it with a great team, and I’m going to be exonerated.”
Busfield faces at least three years in state prison if found guilty.
A witness list put together by state prosecutors includes at least four people who have previously accused the actor of sexual misconduct, but whose allegations are not included in the felony charges, according to TMZ.
“The indictment was not unexpected,” Busfield’s attorney, Larry Stein, told EW in a statement. “As the saying goes, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich. What is deeply concerning is that the District Attorney is choosing to proceed on a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial.”
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