Timothy Busfield discussed tickling children on set when police questioned him, according to grand jury audio. The actor reportedly addressed the interactions during an interview with investigators, as prosecutors presented details of the case to the grand jury.
Busfield was indicted on four felony counts of criminal sexual contact with a child after the panel heard testimony from a police officer and an investigator.
Testimony focuses on Timothy Busfield’s statements about playful interactions with children
According to Radar, the officer told the grand jury that he did not disclose the full scope of the investigation when he interviewed the actor. His first aim, he said, was simply to see whether Timothy Busfield would talk about the tickling at all.
He asked Busfield to describe the filming setup, explaining to jurors that he had no background in the entertainment industry himself. The actor described a bedroom and hospital arrangement with a gurney. According to the officer, that account matched the setting the children had described during their forensic interviews.
The officer said Busfield presented the tickling as a way of guiding the boys through their scenes. He told jurors that the actor said he would prepare them for filming, “tickle them and get them pumped up for the next set.”
Radar reported that Busfield appeared awkward when the subject came up.
In his own testimony, the actor confirmed he had spoken with the authorities and been read his rights. He denied any suggestion that the contact escalated into anything sexual. Busfield is accused of touching the private parts of two young boys on the set of “The Cleaning Lady.” He faced a similar allegation in Minnesota in 1993.
The New Mexico case is being prosecuted in Bernalillo County, and Busfield has denied wrongdoing throughout. Melissa Gilbert, his wife, was named as a potential defense witness at a pretrial detention hearing in January.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE ALLEGATIONS AND THE DETAILS PRESENTED IN THE GRAND JURY PROCEEDINGS?
