West Wing actor Timothy Busfield has surrendered to authorities after an arrest warrant was issued for the director to face child sex abuse charges last week by the Albuquerque Police Department (APD).
“Timothy Busfield has turned himself in at the Metro Detention Center. He will be booked on his warrant,” an Albuquerque Police Department spokesperson told Global News.
In a video obtained by TMZ, Busfield, 68, said, “I did not do anything wrong.”
“Hi everybody, it’s Tim,” he began. “I’m sure most of you know, that are watching this, that I was ordered to come to Albuquerque — I’m here now. I got the call Friday night, I had to get a lawyer. Saturday I got the car, drove 2,000 miles to Albuquerque. I’m gonna confront these lies. They’re horrible.”
“They’re all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys and I’m gonna fight it. I’m gonna fight it with a great team, and I’m gonna be exonerated, I know I am, because this is all so wrong and all lies,” he continued. “So hang in there and hopefully I’m out real soon and back to work. I love everybody for supporting me, thank you.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the APD said they were working with the U.S. Marshals Service to locate and arrest Busfield.
Last week, Marvin Kirk Brown with the APD filed a criminal complaint in support of the charges, which says two children reported that Busfield touched them inappropriately. The acts allegedly occurred on the set of The Cleaning Lady, a TV series Busfield directed and acted in.
One of the children, who are 11-year-old twin brothers, said the first incident happened when he was seven years old and Busfield touched him three or four times. Busfield is accused of touching him five or six times on another occasion when he was eight. The boy said he touched him in his “private areas.”
The child’s mother reported to Child Protective Services that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said. She alleged that her children “were groomed and sexually abused by Timothy,” the complaint said.
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The arrest warrant, which was signed by a judge, said the charge is for two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor.
According to the complaint, one of the children, identified only by their initials (SL and VL), has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. The other child has had “issues with bed-wetting along with other behavioral issues,” according to the complaint.
A social worker documented one of the children saying he had nightmares about Busfield touching him and had woken up scared. The child was reportedly afraid to tell anyone because Busfield was the director and he feared he would get mad at him.
When Brown asked the children’s mother how the children were allowed to be alone with Busfield on-set when there were other people around, she told him that “when the Director is directing somebody in a scene, a lot of the time people will let them talk, just the two of them or whoever it is.”
“When the Director says cut, a lot of the time, people are rushing around trying to get to the next shot,” she said, according to the complaint.
The mother told the investigator she “had started noticing SL becoming uncomfortable around Timothy.”
“She saw this during a live photo that was taken of Timothy and SL, and Timothy was caressing SL’s head,” the complaint said.
The investigation began in November 2024, when the investigator responded to a call from a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital. The children’s parents had gone there at the recommendation of a law firm, the complaint said.
Brown said he first called and left a message with Busfield asking him to return his call on Nov. 3, 2025.
“At 10:44 am, I received a call from Timothy Busfield, who advised me that I was on speaker phone with him and his wife, actor Melissa Gilbert [best-known for her role as Laura Ingalls in classic TV series Little House on the Prairie]. Timothy advised that the two were in New York at the time. I did advise him that I was investigating a case that was assigned to me, and asked Timothy if he would like to speak with me about the case. Timothy did want to speak with me at this time,” the complaint read.
During their phone conversation, Brown asked Busfield if he “ever had any physical contact with these boys and if he ever picked them up and tickled them.”
“Timothy said it was highly likely that he would have,” the affidavit said. “Timothy said it was a playful environment, like he wanted. However, Timothy said that the dad, Ronald, would make SL and VL hug him, and he didn’t really want them to.”
Brown said he asked Busfield what the “protocol was for touching children and picking them up” and also asked “if it was allowed.”
“Timothy initially said, ‘It’s not allowed at all. There is no, there’s no protocol. I mean, I’m always around people, right? Uh, uh, uh, it would be, it would be, you know, in front of the parents. There would never be a weird moment about it. I don’t really remember picking those boys up. Uh, 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,’” Brown recalled Busfield saying in the legal doc.
He said Busfield then stated, “‘I don’t remember those boys. No, I don’t, I don’t actually, I don’t remember it, it, if it happened, I don’t remember overtly tickling the boys ever, but it wouldn’t be uncommon for me.’”
Brown said Busfield and his wife told him they did have a relationship with the two children and their family outside of work.
“They advised that they did buy the two boys Christmas gifts and were together on several social functions,” the complaint added.
During the phone conversation, Busfield said Warner Bros. conducted its own investigation into the claims.
Brown wrote a search warrant for Warner Bros. on Oct. 3, 2025, “requesting access to production records and materials related to an independent investigation into on-set incidents during the filming of, specifically involving actor Timothy Busfield.”
He said he received a voicemail from Richard Westling, “who identified himself as an attorney for Warner Bros and requested that I return his call,” on Nov. 7, 2025.
Brown said he called Westling on Nov. 13 and explained that he had sent a “search warrant for the investigation done for Warner Bros. involving Timothy Busfield.”
“Richard was familiar with the investigation and told me he would locate the Search Warrant and contact his client, Warner Bros., to see how they could help with the return of the Search Warrant,” Brown added.
Brown said he received an email from Westling on Nov. 21 that stated the “investigation was conducted under attorney client privilege.”
“Warner Brothers is working through the process of deciding whether to waive privilege and provide you with a copy of the report,” the email read. “I am hopeful, I will have an answer next week and will reach out to you again as soon as I know more.”
Brown received the independent investigation request in the search warrant to Warner Bros. on Dec. 31, 2025.
“According to the anonymous complainant, who claimed to have witnessed the incident in the Hair and Make-Up trailer, executive producer/director Tim Busfield entered and kissed a minor male on the face as the minor was getting a haircut,” the affidavit read. “The anonymous complainant further alleged that there are pictures of Mr. Busfield, ‘tickling and caressing the head and body of minor boys.’”
Warner Bros. Television shared a statement with the Hollywood Reporter on Saturday, saying, “The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our top priority, especially the safety of minors on our productions. We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and have systems in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate, and when needed, take appropriate action. We are aware of the current charges against Mr. Busfield and have been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement.”
— With files from The Associated Press
