Timothy Busfield filed a new motion opposing his pretrial incarceration for child sexual abuse crimes.
“Defendant Timothy Busfield, by and through undersigned counsel, responds in opposition to the state’s motion for pretrial detention,” Busfield’s lawyers wrote in Friday, January 16, court documents obtained by Us Weekly. “The motion asks the court to imprison a man based on a story that has already collapsed under independent scrutiny.”
Busfield’s legal team further claimed that the prosecution offered “no reliable proof” to support the accusations.
“The state offers no reliable proof — only allegations advanced by witnesses with documented histories of fraud and financial exploitation, contradicted by a comprehensive studio investigation, and refuted by witnesses and objective risk assessments,” the court docs read. “The Constitution does not allow liberty to be forfeited on such a foundation. The state’s motion should be denied.”
Busfield, 68, surrendered himself to New Mexico law enforcement on Tuesday, January 13, days after being named in an arrest warrant following sexual misconduct allegations. In the warrant obtained by Us, Busfield was accused of inappropriately touching two child actors on the set of Fox’s The Cleaning Lady.
“I’m going to confront these lies. They’re horrible. They’re all lies, and I did not do anything to those little boys,” Busfield claimed in a video shared with TMZ, denying the accusations. “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.”
After his arrest, Busfield allegedly submitted to a polygraph test to substantiate his denial.
“Tim Busfield denies the allegations in the criminal complaint and maintains they are completely false,” the actor’s lawyer, Larry Stein, told Us in a statement. “As a voluntary step, he submitted to an independent polygraph examination regarding those allegations and passed.”
There is no set legal standard regarding polygraph tests and whether they can be admissible in court, per the United States Department of Justice’s website.
“The government continues to have several good arguments for excluding polygraph evidence,” a statement on the DOJ website reads. “First, a prosecutor can still attack the reliability of polygraph evidence both generally and as administered in the case at hand.”
Busfield made his first appearance in court on Wednesday, January 14, where he did not enter a plea. The actor is set to remain in custody until his second court hearing next week.
Busfield has been married to Little House on the Prairie alum Melissa Gilbert since 2013, who has since shared a statement of support.
“During this period, her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment,” a rep for Gilbert, 61, told Us on Tuesday. “Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
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