Timothy Busfield Indictment Tossed Over Prosecutorial Misconduct — SkimNews
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- Judge Joseph Montano dismissed the indictment against Timothy Busfield on two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse, ruling that "the prosecuting attorney failed to act in a fair and impartial manner" by improperly instructing grand jurors on witnesses and using "an unexplained procedure" to unilaterally withhold evidence.
- The charges stemmed from alleged incidents involving two minor boys on the New Mexico set of Fox/Warner Bros series The Cleaning Lady, where Busfield directed episodes during its four-season run from 2022-25.
- Bernalillo County DA Sam Bregman's office was given the option to "institute new criminal proceedings"; each dismissed count carried a maximum sentence of six years behind bars, and the office told Deadline it is "evaluating our options."
- Busfield was arrested and booked in January, initially held without bond at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center, then released January 20 after Judge David Murphy rejected DA Bregman's flight-risk arguments.
- Busfield has consistently denied the allegations, calling them "absolutely one gazillion percent untrue. Never ever."
- The six-page order represents, per the source, a "fairly damning indictment" against Bregman—a one-time gubernatorial hopeful—and his office's handling of the case.
Why it matters: Busfield's legal jeopardy isn't over—the DA can still "institute new criminal proceedings" and each of the two counts carried a maximum six-year sentence. But the judge's sharply worded finding that prosecutors 'failed to act in a fair and impartial manner' raises credibility questions about the original case and any potential refiling against the Emmy winner.
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