‘WEST WING’ STAR STARING DOWN A -YEAR SENTENCE
Tim Busfield‘s Hollywood career has imploded, and now the veteran actor and director is looking at a potential death sentence for his freedom. The -year-old star could rot in prison for up to years if convicted on the stomach-churning child sex abuse charges leveled against him this week. The Bernalillo County District Attorney dropped the hammer during a fiery press conference on Thursday, making it clear they are not giving the celebrity the VIP treatment.
Prosecutors revealed the math behind the potential sentence: Busfield is charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under (six years each) and one count of child abuse (three years). Do the addition, and Busfield could be locked up until he is years old.
“Our job is to hold people accountable and that’s what we do,” DA Sam Bregman declared, sending a warning shot to Busfield’s legal team. “I have personally tried cases of child abuse and sexual assault… we hold everybody accountable.”
THE DISTURBING “TICKLING” ADMISSION
While Busfield sits in a cell, the details of his police interrogation are raising massive red flags. According to the arrest warrant, when cops grilled him about the allegations that he groped two young boys on the set of Fox’s The Cleaning Lady, Busfield didn’t exactly shut it down. Instead, he made a bizarre admission about his on-set behavior with children.
In a quote that has insiders whispering, Busfield told investigators there was “no protocol” about touching kids on set. He allegedly told police, “I don’t remember overtly tickling the boys ever but it wouldn’t be uncommon for me.”
“Wouldn’t be uncommon? Who says that to the police? This guy just admitted he touches kids on set regularly. It’s over for him.”
Busfield tried to frame the environment as “playful,” but investigators aren’t buying it. He claimed he didn’t “really remember” if the incidents happened, a classic non-denial denial that often sinks defendants before they even get to trial.
THE POLYGRAPH PR SPIN
Busfield surrendered to authorities on January , but not before launching a desperate PR campaign to clear his name. In a video obtained by TMZ, a frantic Busfield looked directly into the camera to plead his innocence. “I’m going to confront these lies. They’re horrible,” he insisted. “I did not do anything to those little boys.”
His lawyer, Larry Stein, is trying to spin a narrative of total exoneration, revealing that Busfield took a “voluntary” polygraph test and allegedly passed. “Tim Busfield denies the allegations in the criminal complaint and maintains they are completely false,” Stein stated.
However, legal experts know this is smoke and mirrors. Polygraph tests are notoriously unreliable and are almost never admissible in court. The DOJ explicitly notes that prosecutors can easily attack the reliability of these “lie detector” stunts. It looks like a Hail Mary pass from a defense team that knows they are in deep trouble.
MELISSA GILBERT STANDS BY HER MAN
Adding to the drama is the reaction of Busfield’s famous wife, Little House on the Prairie legend Melissa Gilbert. Despite the horrific nature of the accusations involving young children, Gilbert is standing firm beside her husband of years. Her rep issued a statement confirming that she “stands with and supports her husband.”
Gilbert is currently focused on “caring for their very large family” as they navigate the scandal, but sources say the pressure inside the household must be unbearable. The public support for an accused child abuser is a risky move that could tarnish her own wholesome legacy.
LOCKED UP: NO SPECIAL TREATMENT
Busfield made his first court appearance on Wednesday, January , where he refused to enter a plea. The judge wasn’t impressed by his Hollywood resume and ordered him to remain in police custody. He is currently behind bars, trading his director’s chair for a jail cell.
The clock is ticking toward his next hearing on January , which will determine if he stays locked up pending trial. The DA is playing it close to the vest, refusing to discuss specific facts to protect the “integrity of the process,” but he urged any other potential victims or witnesses to come forward immediately.
If convicted, the -year sentence would effectively be a life sentence for the actor. With formal charges coming next week, Busfield is about to find out just how real reality can get.
