Albuquerque police have issued an arrest warrant for veteran actor and director Timothy Busfield, charging him with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse. The allegations stem from incidents reportedly involving twin boy actors on the set of Fox’s short-lived crime drama The Cleaning Lady, where Busfield directed six episodes between 2022 and 2025.
According to a detailed police affidavit from Detective Marvin Brown, one of the boys disclosed during interviews last fall that Busfield first touched him inappropriately in his private areas—over his clothing on his “poop” and “pee” spots—when he was just 7 years old. A second incident allegedly happened the following year on the Cleaning Lady set, when the boy was 8. He told investigators he felt “very afraid” of Busfield and was relieved whenever the director wasn’t around. The boy’s twin brother later shared with a counselor and pediatrician that he disliked being touched by Busfield but stayed quiet at the time, fearing he’d get in trouble.
The case first surfaced in 2024, when a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital tipped off police after examining the boys, then aged 11. Their parents, who had heard rumors of Busfield being “handsy” with women, asked if anyone had made them uncomfortable. The kids replied, “You mean like Uncle Tim?”—a nickname Busfield reportedly encouraged them to use as he grew close to the child actors. An initial police interview with the boys yielded no specific disclosures of abuse, and after chatting with Busfield by phone, officers handed it off to the Crimes Against Children Unit, which declined to pursue it then.
Busfield, an Emmy winner best known for The West Wing, Thirtysomething, and Field of Dreams, initially told police over the phone in November 2024 that it was “highly likely” he’d had physical contact with the boys, like picking them up and tickling them to get them “ready to act.” He noted the parents were usually present and it wouldn’t seem “weird.” But he quickly backpedaled, saying, “I don’t remember those boys… I don’t remember overtly tickling the boys ever, but it wouldn’t be uncommon for me.” He also claimed Warner Bros. had investigated similar whispers.
That separate probe came in 2025, sparked by an anonymous SAG-AFTRA complaint about a December 2024 incident in the hair and makeup trailer. The tipster, claiming to be an eyewitness, said Busfield kissed a minor boy on the face during a haircut and had photos of him “tickling and caressing” young boys’ heads and bodies. Warner Bros. hired an outside investigator who couldn’t substantiate it. Detective Brown griped in the affidavit that the studio dragged its feet on sharing records—taking three months after a search warrant—and insisted he route safety checks for other child actors through their lawyers.
Warner Bros. TV responded Friday with a statement emphasizing cast and crew safety, especially minors: “We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously… We are aware of the current charges against Mr. Busfield and have been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement.” Busfield also told police he’d heard from Cleaning Lady star Elodie Yung that one boy’s mom sought “revenge” after her sons weren’t recast for the final season; Yung declined to comment, saying she wanted no part in it.
The 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s office and Busfield’s reps haven’t commented. A judge greenlit the warrant last Friday.
