Judge dismisses Timothy Busfield indictment over prosecutor conduct; refiling allowed
A New Mexico judge threw out the child sex abuse indictment against actor Timothy Busfield on Friday, saying the prosecutor did not act fairly in grand jury proceedings, and prosecutors can refile.
A New Mexico judge dismissed the child sex abuse indictment against actor and director Timothy Busfield on Friday. District Court Judge Joseph Montano said the prosecutor "failed to act in a fair and impartial manner," according to BBC News. The Guardian says that applies to the grand jury proceedings.
Fox News reports Montano granted a motion from Busfield to throw out the indictment. NBC News and CBS News say the ruling cited prosecutorial misconduct. CBS also reports errors that undermined the grand jury process.
Prosecutors can refile. Fox News and The Guardian both report Montano said new charges could be pursued.
The indictment accused Busfield of criminal sexual contact with a child. ABC News says it had four counts of sexual contact of a minor. The Guardian reports the allegations involve groping a young boy on a TV set.
NBC News reports Busfield has repeatedly denied the allegations. It says he has described them as lies motivated by revenge.
Reported by
- Fox NewsJudge tosses Timothy Busfield's indictment on child sex abuse chargesFri, Oct 16, 4:52 PM EDT
- ABC NewsJudge tosses indictment against actor Timothy BusfieldFri, Oct 16, 5:11 PM EDT
- NBC NewsJudge dismisses child sexual abuse charges against actor Timothy BusfieldFri, Oct 16, 6:59 PM EDT
- CBS NewsJudge dismisses child sex abuse charges against actor Timothy BusfieldFri, Oct 16, 7:24 PM EDT
- BBC NewsJudge throws out child sex abuse charges against actor Timothy BusfieldFri, Oct 16, 8:38 PM EDT
- The GuardianChild sex abuse charges against actor Timothy Busfield dismissed by judgeFri, Oct 16, 11:06 PM EDT
This story was written by AI using only the reports listed above, and published without a person reviewing it first. It is rewritten as new reports arrive. Read the original reporting for full detail. Spot an error? Tell us.
Earlier versions (4)
- Fri, Oct 16, 11:20 PM EDT, 5 outlets: Judge dismisses Timothy Busfield indictment; prosecutors may bring new charges
- Fri, Oct 16, 9:10 PM EDT, 4 outlets: Judge dismisses Timothy Busfield indictment over prosecutor misconduct
- Fri, Oct 16, 7:30 PM EDT, 3 outlets: Judge dismisses Timothy Busfield indictment, citing prosecutorial misconduct
- Fri, Oct 16, 5:55 PM EDT, 2 outlets: New Mexico judge dismisses grand jury indictment of Timothy Busfield