Inside Timothy Busfield's Home Raid: Heavily Armed Federal Agents Busted Down Actor's Door After He Was Accused of Child Sex Abuse
Authorities were looking for Timothy Busfield in New York when he was surrendering in New Mexico.
Jan. 14 2026, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
As Timothy Busfield was turning himself in to the authorities in New Mexico over child sex abuse charges, a task force was dramatically raiding his home in rural New York in search of the fugitive actor, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
At least 10 members of the U.S. Marshals and the New York Regional Fugitive Task Force bashed in the door of the $300,000 vacation home that Busfield, 48, shares with his wife, actress Melissa Gilbert, in the tiny town of Highland Lake on Tuesday, January 13.
However, the Thirtysomething alum wasn't on the property.
Armed Raid
The fugitive task for was searching for Timothy Busfield, who went missing for several days after his arrest warrant was issued.
According to witnesses who traveled with the task force, seven vehicles rolled up on the mountain getaway not far from the Pennsylvania state line.
Wearing tactical vests and helmets while armed with assault rifles, the team pounded on the door, demanding that any occupants immediately exit the home.
When officers got no reply, they used a battering ram to crash through the front door before spending about 10 minutes inside the home.
They also searched the RV and outhouse in the back of the rustic property before clearing the scene.
No One Was at home
Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield have been married for 12 years.
The team was looking for Busfield, who went missing for at least three days after a warrant for his arrest was issued in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, on January 9. Little House on the Prairie star Gilbert, 61, was also not at home at the time.
Nothing was taken from the house by the law enforcement officers, who left the battered door propped against its hinges, according to the witness.
When asked by the Daily Mail if the team was aware that Busfield had just turned himself in more than a thousand miles away, one officer refused to comment.
Timothy Busfield Declared He Wanted to Confront 'Lies' Against Him
Timothy Busfield made the unusual move of taping himself with his lawyers before turning himself in to authorities.
Busfield turned himself in to the Albuquerque Police Department after taping a video at his attorney's office, saying he intended to "confront these lies" against him.
He was referring to the allegations of child abuse and criminal sexual contact with a minor involving a set of twins whom he worked with on Fox's The Cleaning Lady.
The director added, "I did not do anything to those little boys," and his legal team claimed the allegations were part of a "revenge" plot by the boys' mother after her kids were terminated from the show.
Busfield's lawyer claimed the case was "driven by animus," while noting that a prior investigation by Warner Bros. Television found "no corroborating evidence" that he "engaged in inappropriate conduct" with the twins.
Timothy Busfield 'Demonstrated Disregard for Boundaries and Authority'
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Late on Wednesday afternoon, Busfield made his first appearance in court dressed in a typical orange inmate jumpsuit.
Prosecutors filed a motion on Wednesday seeking that Busfield remain in custody until his trial, citing his refusal to turn himself in in a timely manner and releasing his video via TMZ before going to the police.
“In light of the defendant’s demonstrated disregard for boundaries, authority, and compliance, no condition or combination of conditions of release can reasonably protect the victims or the community,” the motion stated.
It also cited a "documented pattern of sexual misconduct, abuse of authority, and grooming behavior" spanning over two decades, and that no release conditions could adequately protect his alleged victims.
Prosecutors also took issue with the Warner Brothers investigation cited by Busfield's attorney, contending it didn't go far enough because the investigator allegedly never spoke with key witnesses against The West Wing alum.
Late on Wednesday afternoon, Busfield made his first appearance in court dressed in a typical orange inmate jumpsuit and showed little emotion.
He was ordered to be held without bond and remains in custody ahead of his pretrial detention hearing.
