Albuquerque police filed a criminal complaint and obtained a judge-signed arrest warrant Friday for actor and director Timothy Busfield on two counts of alleged criminal sexual contact of a minor, according to court documents. The charges allege Busfield touched a child inappropriately on the set of The Cleaning Lady, a Fox television series Busfield directed and acted in.
The child’s mother reported the alleged abuse to Child Protective Services as having occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said. Busfield’s attorney and agent did not respond to emails seeking comment as of Friday evening.
The complaint marks a significant legal development for Busfield, who won an Emmy Award for his role in Thirtysomething and is known for appearances in The West Wing and Field of Dreams. Warner Bros., which produced The Cleaning Lady, conducted its own investigation into the allegations but was unable to corroborate them, according to the complaint.
Allegations in the Complaint
According to the criminal complaint, the child reported that the first incident of alleged inappropriate touching occurred when he was 7 years old, and that Busfield touched him three or four times on that occasion. On a subsequent occasion when the child was 8 years old, Busfield allegedly touched him five or six times, the complaint said.
The child has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, according to the complaint. A social worker documented him saying he had nightmares about Busfield and had woken up scared. The child was reportedly afraid to report the alleged conduct because Busfield served as the director, and he feared Busfield would become angry, the complaint said.
How the Investigation Began
The investigation began in November 2024 after an Albuquerque Police Department investigator responded to a call from a physician at the University of New Mexico Hospital, according to the complaint. The child’s parents had gone to the hospital at the recommendation of a law firm, the complaint said.
Studio Investigation Found No Corroboration
The Cleaning Lady aired for four seasons on Fox and ended in 2025. The series starred Elodie Yung as a Cambodian doctor who witnesses a mob killing and becomes entangled with organized crime. Warner Bros. Television, which produced the series, conducted its own investigation into the abuse allegations but was unable to corroborate them, according to the complaint.
Background
Busfield is known for his Emmy Award–winning role in Thirtysomething, for which he received the award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series in 1991, as well as for roles in The West Wing and Field of Dreams. He is married to actor Melissa Gilbert. No response was received from Busfield’s attorney, his agent, or Gilbert’s publicist as of Friday evening.