The latest update in Busfield’s case comes after he was indicted on multiple charges of criminal sexual contact of a child
A court has scheduled a 2027 trial date in the ongoing legal case involving Timothy Busfield. The development marks a significant step forward in the legal proceedings that have drawn public attention in recent months.
The West Wing alum’s trial is scheduled to begin in May 2027, his criminal defense attorney Amber Fayerberg confirmed to PEOPLE on Wednesday, March 11. The date is subject to change and could potentially be sooner.
According to the court dockets, the proceedings are scheduled to last three weeks.
On Friday, Feb. 6, Busfield, 68, was indicted by a Bernalillo County grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13), District Attorney Sam Bregman announced. All four charges are third-degree felonies and pertain to events in October 2022 and September 2023, according to court documents.
Busfield pleaded not guilty to all four counts on Feb. 10, per a plea entry filed in New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court. On Feb. 11, he waived his arraignment and appearances in court for all pretrial proceedings. Judge Joseph Montano granted the request on Feb. 18.
Following the indictment, the actor’s lawyer Stanton “Larry” Stein told PEOPLE, “The indictment was not unexpected.”
“What is deeply concerning is that the District Attorney is choosing to proceed on a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial. The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State’s evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure. This prosecution appears driven by something other than the facts or the law,” Stein said.
“Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court — where evidence matters — not behind closed doors.”
The child sex abuse charges were first leveled against Busfield in a Jan. 9 warrant issued by the Albuquerque Police Department, which alleged that he engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with two 11-year-old boys, whose identities have been withheld from the public.
Busfield surrendered to police on Jan. 13, and the following day faced an additional allegation of sexual abuse, which he has not been charged with. According to a pretrial detention motion filed on Jan. 14, Colin Swift reported to law enforcement on Jan. 13 that Busfield allegedly sexually abused Swift’s then-16-year-old daughter “several years ago” in Sacramento, Calif.
“While auditioning for [Busfield] at B Street Theatre, the 16-year-old reported that [Busfield] kissed her and put his hands down her pants and touched her privates,” per the motion.
Busfield allegedly “begged the family to not report to law enforcement if he received therapy” and Swift, being a “therapist himself, thought at the time that was the best thing to do,” per the motion.
After he turned himself in, the district attorney filed a motion for pretrial detention against Busfield, which sought to keep him detained until trial. Because of New Mexico’s no-bond detention rule, defendants are otherwise released on recognizance, with or without conditions.
On Jan. 20, he was released from custody with conditions while he awaits trial, following a two-hour pretrial detention hearing in a San Bernalillo, New Mexico district court. His wife, Melissa Gilbert, was in attendance and was seen crying and whispering, “Thank you, God,” when the release was announced.
After being released on his own recognizance, Busfield has been ordered to appear for all his future court dates and is not allowed to possess any firearms or dangerous weapons, consume any alcohol or illegal drugs, have contact with the alleged victims or their families, discuss the case with any witnesses or have unsupervised contact with any minor children. The judge also allowed him to travel, but he will be under the supervision of Pretrial Services in New Mexico.
After Busfield was released from jail, Stein told PEOPLE he and Gilbert were “still in shock that it happened to them and they’re still distressed.”
“But obviously they’re in a better mood than they were yesterday before he was released,” he said. “We’re taking one day at a time.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
