Jan. 13 (UPI) — Actor Timothy Busfield surrendered himself to the Albuquerque Police Department on Tuesday after a warrant was issued last week accusing him of sexually abusing two children.
Busfield said he is fighting the charges that accuse him of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and child abuse.
Before turning himself in on Tuesday, Busfield told his attorneys in Albuquerque that he will “confront these lies” and that he “did not do anything to those little boys,” according to a video obtained by TMZ.
The charges arise from two boys who were cast members of The Cleaning Lady television show that aired on Fox when Busfield was its director and a cast member. Episodes were filmed in New Mexico beginning in 2022.
Attorney Larry Stein is Busfield’s non-criminal attorney and told TMZ that the accusations are false and were made by the mother of two boys who were fired ahead of the show’s final season.
Stein said the mother allegedly told another cast member that she would get revenge against Busfield for cutting her sons from the final season’s cast.
The Warner Bros. studio commissioned an independent investigation by a law firm into the matter and concluded the allegations lacked any evidence.
The law firm interviewed about a dozen people close to the matter before concluding that there was no evidence to support the claims, TMZ reported.
The children accuse Busfield of inappropriately touching them while on the film set.
Busfield surrendered himself after learning a warrant had been issued for his arrest. U.S. Marshals and local police were seeking his whereabouts to initiate an arrest.
Stein said Busfield won’t be allowed to post bail, and his wife, actress Melissa Gilbert, said she won’t comment on the matter.
“Her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family as they navigate this moment,” Gilbert’s spokesperson Ame Van Iden told NBC News.
“Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time,” Van Iden said.