Timothy Busfield’s Wife Melissa Gilbert Breaks Down in Court as Actor Is Released From Jail

Timothy Busfield‘s wife, Melissa Gilbert, appeared visibly emotional when it was revealed the actor is being released from custody.

On Tuesday, January 20, a judge ruled the 68-year-old is free with conditions while he awaits trial as he faces charges of child s– abuse.

“Given the lack of a pattern involving children in this case, I think that can be remedied through different conditions of release,” the judge began. “I don’t find that there’s been sufficient presentation that this defendant may commit new crimes if released pending trial. There’s no evidence of a pattern of criminal conduct. There are no similar allegations involving children in his past. There’s no evidence of non-compliance with prior court orders.”

“Rather, this defendant self-surrendered and submitted himself to this court’s jurisdiction, demonstrating compliance with the court order for his arrest,” the judge continued. “I cannot find that the state has proven by clear and convincing evidence that there are no release conditions that would reasonably protect the safety of any younger person in the community.”

Busfield was also ordered to appear for all future court dates and is “not allowed to possess any firearms or dangerous weapons, consume any alcohol or illegal drugs, have contact with the alleged victims or their families, discuss the case with any witnesses or have unsupervised contact with any minor children,” People reported.

If Busfield does travel, he has to be under the supervision of Pretrial Services in New Mexico and must notify the court of his address.

When Gilbert heard the news, she was seen crying and whispering, “Thank you, God.”

Gilbert’s mom, who previously spoke about her support for her son-in-law, in addition to her son Michael Boxleitner and Busfield’s civil lawyer, Larry Stein. Busfield’s brother, Buck Busfield, was also present.

Melissa has been supportive of her husband over the last few weeks. As OK! previously reported, Timothy was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13) and one count of child abuse on January 13.

The alleged incidents happened during the filming of the Fox TV drama The Cleaning Lady in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when Timothy was directing an episode. The show ran on FOX from January 2022 to June 2025.

In a letter to the judge in his case, Melissa called the Hollywood star “my love, my rock, my partner in business and life,” adding that she knows him “better and more intimately than anything in his life ever has.”

“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,” she wrote. “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.”