Disgraced actor Timothy Busfield faces serious legal troubles following an FBI raid on his cabin in the Catskills, New York. The property was searched by federal agents and US Marshals due to Busfield’s recent arrest on multiple child sex abuse charges. The 68-year-old former star of “The West Wing” was charged earlier this month in New Mexico with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse.
The allegations against Busfield have escalated since he voluntarily surrendered to police. Claims now include incidents from 1997 and 2001, where he is accused of assaulting a 17-year-old and a 16-year-old girl, respectively. Busfield has denied all accusations, characterizing them as “all lies.” He is currently being held without bond, with his next court hearing scheduled for January 20, 2024.
Details Surrounding the FBI Raid
On the day of the raid, ten heavily armed members of the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force attempted to apprehend Busfield at his cabin. However, he had already turned himself in in New Mexico by that time. This proactive measure by law enforcement highlights the seriousness of the charges he faces. Following the raid, disturbing photographs of the cabin surfaced, revealing a property described as “stinky” and “sad.”
Before Busfield and his wife, Melissa Gilbert, purchased the cabin in 2018 for $98,000, it had a notoriously unkempt reputation. Gilbert recounted their first impressions of the cabin, stating that it was filled with rotting deer heads, inappropriate materials, and remnants of previous tenants. In an interview with Next Avenue in 2022, she remarked, “Tim found this place on Zillow, and it looked cute in the pictures, and the price was certainly right. We went to take a look at it. From the outside, the house looked like it was carrying a lot of weight… it seemed like it was sort of sad.”
Living Conditions and Renovations
Gilbert described the unpleasant odor that greeted them upon entering the cabin, saying, “When we walked in the front door — I’ve smelled musty places, [but] I’ve never smelled anything like the smell that came from this house. It was overwhelming.” The couple faced the daunting task of cleaning out the remnants left by previous owners, which included personal items like cereal boxes and personal care products, along with the unsettling presence of holy water and hidden alcohol.
Despite the initial state of disarray, Gilbert noted how their renovations gradually transformed the cabin. “The more we did on the house, the more we could see past the ‘musty, stinky, crowded place’ we’d originally bought,” she explained. The couple eventually moved into the property for the Christmas season in 2019, sharing the home until Busfield’s recent arrest.
The unfolding situation surrounding Busfield not only raises serious legal implications but also shines a light on the conditions of the cabin that he and Gilbert endeavored to turn into a home. As the case progresses, further details are likely to emerge, keeping the couple’s complicated legacy in the public eye.
