Melissa Gilbert feels like she’s in the midst of a ‘nightmare’ amid a spate of allegations aimed at her husband of 12 years, Timothy Busfield.
Busfield, 68, on January 13 was booked in connection with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and a count of child abuse in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Little House on the Prairie actress, 61, is ‘very concerned about Tim in jail’ as he’s being held at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center, a source told People Monday.
‘She wants him out so he’s safe,’ said the source. ‘The detention facility where he’s being held has safety issue complaints.’
Gilbert, who played the role of Laura Ingalls Wilder on the NBC series from 1974–1983, remains focused on trying to get [Busfield] out [of jail] this week;’ and will be in New Mexico, where Busfield’s legal case is playing out.
Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Gilbert for further comment on the story.
Melissa Gilbert, 61, feels like she’s in the midst of a ‘nightmare’ amid a spate of allegations aimed at her husband of 12 years, Timothy Busfield, 68. Pictured in 2023 in Monaco
‘The past week has been a nightmare for Melissa,’ the source told outlet.
The source spoke to the outlet a day before a pretrial detention hearing Tuesday, in which a judge will rule whether Busfield has to remain in custody for the time being.
The judge will also rule on what conditions Busfield would have to agree to should be be offered a potential release ahead of a trial.
Following that process, the charges against Busfield will be formally announced, and the actor will be arraigned on the trio of counts he faces.
Gilbert penned a letter to the judge submit to the court Friday, in which she complimented her spouse on a number of fronts.
‘The reality is that Tim Busfield is my love, my rock, my partner in business and life,’ Gilbert told the court. ‘He is my comfort and my council. His joy, humor and quick wit bring sparkle to my life. Tim is, quite simply, the beating heart of our wild and wonderful extended family.’
She added, ‘I can tell you, and anyone, that I know Tim better and more intimately than anything in his life ever has. Conversely, he knows me in the same way.
‘Tim has the strongest moral compass of any human I have ever known. He has dedicated his spiritual self to always being of service to others. He starts every day with kindness and compassion.’
Timothy Busfield will be digitally edited out of the forthcoming Amazon MGM film You Deserve Each Other in the wake of child sex abuse allegations that led to his arrest earlier this month. Pictured in 2022 in New Jersey
Busfield turned himself in to authorities in New Mexico on January 13 amid the allegations
Gilbert said in the letter addressed to the court: ‘I am trying to tow a line between logic and all the feelings swirling through me. I began this letter with logic, but now the feelings have taken over. I can’t help it.
‘I only want this extraordinary man safe and whole. So, I will close by asking you to please, please, take care of my sweet husband.
‘As he is my protector, I am his, but I cannot protect him now and I think that, more than anything else, is what is truly breaking my heart, I am relying on your to protect him for me.’
Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman said the actor could face up to 15 years in custody if convicted on all counts.
The judge ordered Busfield to be held on no bond during a hearing on Wednesday, which came after Busfield surrendered himself to authorities the previous day.
Police in Albuquerque had issued an arrest warrant for the actor, who made a video declaring his innocence prior to surrendering himself.
Reports on Monday indicated Busfield will be digitally edited out of the forthcoming Amazon MGM film You Deserve Each Other in the wake of his arrest.
The story of the movie, according to a log line, ‘follows an engaged couple who have fallen out of love and try to sabotage each other into calling off their wedding, only to fall back in love in the process.’
Busfield could face up to 15 years in custody if convicted on all counts. Pictured 2023
Producers have not yet issued a release date for the forthcoming Amazon MGM film
Production on the romantic comedy – which also stars Penn Badgley, Justin Long, Natalie Morales, Hope Davis, Kyle MacLachlan and Ana Gasteyer – has ended, insiders told The Hollywood Reporter Monday.
The Emmy Award-winning actor appeared in You Deserve Each Other playing the role of Bernie, the father of Meghann Fahy’s character Naomi, for filmmakers Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein.
Without reshoots, editors will have to use digital technology to remove Busfield from the scenes he appeared in.
Producers have not yet issued a release date for the film, which is based off author Sarah Hogle’s 2020 book.
Daily Mail has reached out to Busfield’s lawyer and reps for Amazon MGM for further comment on the story.
The Lansing, Michigan-born actor has appeared in films including Field of Dreams, Little Big League and Revenge of the Nerds; and on TV shows such as The West Wing and Thirtysomething.
Busfield’s also racked up multiple credits as a director, having worked extensively behind the lens on shows such as The Client List, The Night Shift and Designated Survivor.
The allegations against Busfield involves two child actors, ages seven and eight, stemming from his work on the New Mexico set of TV series The Cleaning Lady.
Gilbert penned a letter to the judge submit to the court Friday, in which she complimented her spouse on a number of fronts. Pictured 2023
Busfield is a producer on The Cleaning Lady and directed six episodes between 2022 and 2025.
The parents of the children, Angele LaSalle and Ronald Rodis, informed authorities of the allegations, which Busfield denies.
Busfield took jabs at the past of his accusers and their trustworthiness in recently legal filings, according to TMZ. He said that LaSalle and Rodis concocted the allegations as a means of getting back at him after their sons were replaced on the television show two years ago.
Busfield told police during an interview on the topic that actress Elodie Yung informed him that LaSalle vowed to get her ‘revenge on Tim Busfield for not bringing her kids back for the final season.’
On Friday, Busfield’s legal team urged a court in New Mexico, where the TV show was filmed, to release the actor from custody pending the outcome of the charges.
Busfield’s legal team cited an independent probe that cast doubt on the allegations made by prosecutors, the AP reported.
Attorneys for Busfield said that his accusers’ parents have a checkered past, while he has passed polygraph tests on the topics at hand.
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