Timothy Busfield's Role In Theater Revealed After 25-Year-Old Alleged Abuse Resurfaces

A decades-old abuse allegation has made the theatre company wash its hands of Timothy Busfield.

After the allegations resurfaced against the director, the theatre where the alleged acts of misconduct took place is clearing its name and association with him. Standing on business, they revealed his nonpartisanship in the company. 

Timothy Busfield has come under heat recently for counts of child abuse and sexual contact with a minor. His career is beginning to take a nosedive, yet he maintains that he is innocent. 

An internal investigation took place 25 years ago at the California theatre when the allegation of Busfield abusing a 16-year-old girl came to light.

Following this investigation, the theatre stripped the director of his roles in the company. It released a statement that read, "He is not involved in our current operations, staff, leadership, or programming. Although he is listed as an emeritus board member, he has not participated in theatre governance or attended a board meeting since that time." The statement from B Street Theatre showed that Busfield had been inactive, not occupying any role since 2001. 

It ended with comforting words of reassurance to the society, emphasizing their mission to create a safe space for both artists and audience alike, before sending well wishes to those affected by every form of abuse.

PEOPLE covered the story after obtaining a pretrial detention motion filed on Wednesday, Jan. 14, which included the decades-old allegation. 

The victim's father, Colin Swift, contacted law enforcement and reported that Busfield allegedly sexually abused Swift's daughter "several years ago" in Sacramento, California.

He claimed that while his daughter reported that while she was auditioning for the director at B Street Theatre, he kissed her and put his hands down her pants and touched her privates.

Furthermore, Busfield's wife, Melissa Gilbert, got involved and allegedly begged the family to not report to law enforcement if her husband received therapy.  Swift, who is also a therapist, let it slide, thinking that was the best thing to do at the time.

Not only was Busfield accused of sexually assaulting the 16-year-old, but he also allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct with twin boys who are also minors. As a result, he is currently facing multiple felony charges of sexually assaulting twin minors on a movie set.

The Blast shared an update reporting that the actor drove a 2,000-mile trip to turn himself in to the authorities at Albuquerque. He made his first appearance at the New Mexico court dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, where his fate was decided within minutes. 

Presiding Judge Felicia Blea-Rivera ruled against granting Busfield a bond, and he is to be held in detention till his next hearing in five business days.

Busfield made a virtual declaration of his innocence. He released a video before turning himself in to the Albuquerque police department, where he succinctly stated that the accusations were lies.

"I'm going to confront these lies. They're horrible. They're all lies. I did not do anything to those little boys. And I'm going to fight it," he said, adding that his legal team would be backing him up to ensure his name is cleared.

The Blast also noted that while Busfield affirmed that he interacted with the boys while preparing them for the set, as there were no rules against that, he stressed that their parents or teachers were present primarily. 

One of the twin boys who is involved in this case claimed that the abuse from the director is not relatively recent. Their identities were concealed, but he stated that the inappropriate touches started when he was seven years old.

He explained that he had become afraid of Busfield and always felt relieved when he was away from the set. He also added that he was scared to speak up because it might result in him getting thrown off the set due to his position as the director.

An investigator who spoke with the director and his wife reported that they had a more personal relationship with the boys. The Blast shared that they also hung out with them at a number of social gatherings and were friendly with their parents, indicating they had a more personal relationship.

Will Timothy Busfield be able to clear his name?