A California theater company is distancing itself from actor Timothy Busfield after a decades-old allegation of sexual abuse surfaced as part of a widening criminal case now centered in New Mexico.
According to PEOPLE, B Street Theatre in Sacramento said Busfield has not been involved with the organization for more than two decades, following an internal investigation conducted after an allegation that he abused a teenage girl during an audition approximately 25 years ago.
The statement came as Busfield faces serious criminal charges tied to a separate case involving minors.
Busfield, 68, surrendered to Albuquerque police on Jan. 13 and was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse.
The charges stem from allegations that he engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with 11-year-old twin boys while directing the second season of the FOX series The Cleaning Lady in 2022.
A pretrial detention motion filed Jan. 14 introduced an additional, unrelated allegation.
According to the filing, a man identified as Colin Swift contacted law enforcement to report that Busfield allegedly sexually abused his daughter while she was 16 years old at B Street Theatre in Sacramento.
“While auditioning for [Busfield] at B Street Theatre, the 16-year-old reported that [Busfield] kissed her and put his hands down her pants and touched her privates,” the motion states.
The document alleges Busfield later “begged the family to not report to law enforcement if he received therapy,” and that Swift, described as a therapist, believed at the time that was the appropriate course of action.
In a statement to PEOPLE, B Street Theatre said it was aware of the allegation and had retained legal counsel to conduct an internal investigation at the time.
“Mr. Busfield has not had any role in the organization since 2001,” the company said, adding that while he remains listed as an emeritus board member, he has not participated in governance or operations since then.
Because the allegation is now part of an active investigation, the theater said it could not comment further.
Busfield’s civil attorney, Larry Stein, dismissed the relevance of the older claim.
“The allegations were never challenged, they were never proved, and they’re 25 years old,” Stein said. “And there doesn’t seem to be any connection between these allegations regarding women 25 years ago and the allegations regarding these young boys.”
According to the arrest warrant, one of the alleged victims in the New Mexico case said the abuse began when he was 7 years old. Busfield is being held without bond and remains in custody ahead of a pretrial detention hearing, with a preliminary hearing deadline set for Jan. 29.
In a video obtained by TMZ before turning himself in, Busfield denied all allegations.
“They’re all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys and I’m gonna fight it,” he said. “I’m gonna fight it with a great team, and I’m gonna be exonerated, I know I am.”
Warner Bros. Television said it is cooperating fully with law enforcement, while Busfield’s wife, actress Melissa Gilbert, is not speaking publicly as the case proceeds.
