Timothy Busfield has surrendered to police, concluding a four-day hunt for the actor that involved the U.S. Marshals after he was charged with child sexual abuse.
Busfield, 68, turned himself in Tuesday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, according to TMZ. He faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and an open count of child abuse.
The actor, best known for his performances on The West Wing and in the 1989 film Field of Dreams, declared his innocence in a video taken before he surrendered to the cops.
“I’m sure most of you know that are watching this that I was ordered to come to Albuquerque,” Busfield said in the video obtained by TMZ. “I’m here now, I got the call Friday night. I had to get a lawyer. Saturday, I got in the car and drove 2,000 miles to Albuquerque.”
He continued, “I’m going to confront these lies. They’re horrible. They’re all lies. 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. I know I am because this is all so wrong and all lies. So hang in there and hopefully I’m out real soon and back to work.”
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An arrest warrant was issued Friday in New Mexico after Busfield was accused of touching two juvenile actors inappropriately while working on the now-cancelled Fox crime series The Cleaning Lady (2022-25), on which he served as executive producer and directed several episodes.
The alleged abuse took place from November 2022 and spring 2024, according to the criminal complaint. Police documents report that allegations against Busfield also include claims that he kissed a boy on the face while the child was getting a haircut in the hair and makeup trailer.
The Albuquerque Police Department began investigating Busfield in November 2024 after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital alerted police to the alleged sexual abuse. Complaints were reported to Warner Bros. in February 2025, launching an independent investigation, but the company was not able to find any evidence supporting the allegations.
Busfield told investigators in November that he believed the mother of his alleged victims was trying to get revenge on him because her children were not cast in the final season of the show, according to police documents.
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The actor’s representatives did not immediately return The Independent’s request for comment. After the charges against Busfield were brought last week, NBC pulled an upcoming episode of Law & Order: SVU he was slated to guest star on.
Busfield is married to actor Melissa Gilbert, who deleted her Instagram after the allegations against her husband surfaced. A statement from her lawyers shared with The Independent said that Gilbert will not comment on the situation at this time, per the request of Busfield’s lawyers.