Villain Edit: Timothy Busfield
The criminal trial against him has collapsed.
The criminal trial of Timothy Busfield has collapsed, with a judge in the state of New Mexico ruling there were issues with how prosecutors presented the case.
Who is Timothy Busfield?
Busfield, aged 68, is an Emmy-winning actor. He's best known for roles in Thirtysomething, and The West Wing. Busfield is married to Melissa Gilbert.
How did we get here?
Busfield was indicted in February on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child. Busfield has denied all allegations.
The charges stemmed from accusations brought by child actors he worked with on the Fox series The Cleaning Lady, which he directed and produced. It is alleged that Busfield groomed and sexually abused the boys during production of the series.
In an affidavit supporting his arrest warrant, it's claimed that the boys referred to Busfield as "Uncle Tim" and alleged that he "would tickle them on the stomach and legs". Both boys told authorities they were touched inappropriately for years, the arrest affidavit states. One of the boys alleged that Busfield touched his private areas, according to court documents. The boy told authorities that the alleged inappropriate touching started when he was 7 years old and he was scared to speak out because he "feared" that Busfield would "get mad at him".
If convicted, Busfield was facing up to six years in prison.
Busfield's lawyer has outlined a defence that these allegations have been made as a form of revenge by the mother of the boys - twin brothers, aged 11 at the time of the alleged offences.
The boys were actors in the production and their contract was terminated by Busfield.
What happens now?
Busfield was not being held in custody ahead of the trial.
The district attorney's office said it is evaluating options on how to move forward.
Gareth Johnson