Oct. 16 (UPI) — A judge dismissed child sex abuse charges against actor Timothy Busfield on Friday because, he said, prosecutors “failed to act in a fair and impartial manner.”
Busfield, 69, was indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico in February on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child on the set of the Fox television series The Cleaning Lady.
Busfield, who acted in and directed the show from 2022 to 2024, was indicted after accusations of groping twin boys who worked as child actors on the show.
In his ruling, New Mexico Judge Joseph Montano said, “The prosecuting attorney failed to act in a fair and impartial manner, including the failure to properly instruct the grand jury on the law for calling witnesses and in instructing the grand jurors on a procedure that effectively withheld requested witnesses.”
Montano added the state “remains free to institute new criminal proceedings against” the actor, USA Today reported.
Busfield’s lawyers filed for the dismissal in June.
“The state has abdicated its role of administering justice and instead pursued an indictment against Mr. Busfield at the cost of evidence, Mr. Busfield’s rights, and the independence and integrity of the grand jury,” the lawyers wrote.
Busfield is best known for his roles in Thirtysomething and The West Wing.
He denied all charges, and said the boys’ parents were seeking “revenge” after the child actors were not invited back for the show’s final season, Variety reported.
Busfield, who pleaded not guilty, was released on his own recognizance.
