Timothy Busfield takes shocking turn after Judge's decision

Timothy Busfield has won a legal battle after a New Mexico judge dismissed his grand jury indictment on child s*x abuse charges — but the case may not be over yet.

On Friday, October 16, District Court Judge Joseph Montaño quashed the The West Wing actor’s indictment on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor, citing procedural violations during the grand jury proceedings, according to court documents obtained by People magazine.

“The prosecuting attorney failed to act in a fair and impartial manner, including the failure to properly instruct the grand jury on the law for calling witnesses and in instructing the grand jurors on a procedure that effectively withheld requested witnesses,” the judge wrote.

Read More: Timothy Busfield pleads not guilty to child abuse charges

The ruling does not prevent prosecutors from bringing the allegations again. “Our office has received the order and is evaluating our options to determine how we will proceed,” Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Nancy Laflin told the outlet.

Busfield, 69, had sought dismissal in June, arguing that prosecutors misrepresented the law and stopped the grand jury from hearing witnesses it wanted to question.

Following a September hearing, the judge found that jurors had repeatedly expressed interest in hearing additional testimony but received instructions that effectively blocked those requests.

The case involves allegations of sexual misconduct concerning two minor boys. Busfield was indicted in February on four felony counts relating to alleged incidents in 2022 and 2023.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

His trial had been scheduled for May 2027, but it remains unclear how the latest ruling will affect the timeline or whether prosecutors will pursue a new indictment.

Busfield’s wife, Melissa Gilbert, has publicly defended him. Speaking to Good Morning America in April, she described the ordeal as “hell,” adding, “This has been the most traumatizing experience of our lives.”