New Mexico authorities have released audio of actor Timothy Busfield telling a detective that he never had any sex with two young boys on a show he directed, calling the accusations “disgusting.”
The audio, obtained by NBC affiliate KOB Albuquerque, is from a November phone call Bousfield had with an Albuquerque detective who said he was investigating a child’s report about something that allegedly happened on the set of “The Cleaning Lady.”
In February, a Bernalillo County grand jury indicted Bousfield, 68, on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child. According to the indictment, this contact allegedly occurred multiple times between 2022 and 2024.
Busfield and his attorneys deny the accusations and describe them as a revenge plot perpetrated by the boys’ parents, who they say were devastated after losing their roles in “The Cleaning Lady.”
A judge in January ordered Busfield released on his own recognizance while awaiting trial. Busfield’s attorney, Stanton “Larry” Stein, said he was “pleased” by the release of the audio and called it “completely exonerated.”
“If you did something wrong, you didn’t tell the police,” Stein said. “He knows he didn’t do anything wrong.”
During the call, the detective’s body camera recorded him “most likely” picking up the boys or tickling them, Busfield said. He said he wanted a “fun environment,” adding that their father would tell them to “go hug Uncle Tim.”
“They didn’t really want it, and it was never a serious hug,” he said, adding that the interaction was awkward for him and the children.
“I’m going to treat them like coaches,” Busfield said. “That’s my job.”
During the conversation, Busfield’s wife, actress Melissa Gilbert, described herself as a “former child star” and said it was standard practice to be friendly with child actors to build trust and help them open up on screen.
During the call, Busfield also pointed to an independent investigation commissioned by Warner Bros. to look into the allegations. The law firm investigator who conducted the investigation said she found no evidence to support claims that Busfield acted inappropriately or was alone with boys on the set of “The Cleaning Lady.”
Busfield directed several episodes of the Fox series, which was filmed in Albuquerque and concluded its four seasons last year.
Bernalillo County Deputy District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch described the accusations as specific, detailed and part of a “pattern of behavior” that included past accusations of inappropriate touching and sexual assault against Bousfield by other women and a teenager.
The allegations did not result in criminal charges. At a hearing in January, the judge overseeing child sex abuse cases found there was no evidence of a pattern of behavior. Bousfield’s attorney, Larry Stein, said some of the past allegations were “unsubstantiated” and “completely irrelevant” to the New Mexico case.
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com
