Photos have surfaced depicting the poor condition of actor Timothy Busfield‘s cabin in the Catskills, New York, following an FBI raid connected to serious allegations against him. The property was searched by federal agents and US Marshals after Busfield was arrested for child sex abuse charges earlier this month. He faces two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse, as reported by authorities in New Mexico.
Busfield, known for his role in The West Wing, has been implicated in additional allegations following his arrest. These include claims from 2001 regarding an incident involving a 16-year-old girl, as well as another from 1997 involving a 17-year-old. The actor has publicly denied all allegations, stating that they are “all lies.” Currently, he is being held without bond, with his next court hearing scheduled for January 20, 2024.
Details of the Raid and Property Condition
Earlier this week, a team of ten heavily armed law enforcement officers from the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force raided Busfield’s Catskills home in an effort to apprehend him. At that time, he had already surrendered to police in New Mexico. The raid has brought renewed attention to the state of the cabin, which has been described by Busfield’s wife, Melissa Gilbert, as “stinky” and “sad.”
Gilbert, who purchased the property with Busfield in 2018 for $98,000, has recounted the shocking condition of the cabin when they first acquired it. She revealed that it was filled with rotting deer heads, an array of pornographic materials, and bottles of holy water. In an interview with Next Avenue in 2022, she noted, “Tim found this place on Zillow, and it looked cute in the pictures, and the price was certainly right.”
Upon visiting the property, Gilbert described the overwhelming mustiness that greeted them. “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,” she recalled. The couple faced the daunting task of clearing out belongings left behind by the previous owners, which included boxes of cereal, shampoo, and various personal items.
Transforming the Cabin into a Home
Despite the initial chaos, Gilbert mentioned that their efforts to renovate the cabin slowly revealed its potential. She stated, “The more we worked on the house, the more we could see past the ‘musty, stinky, crowded place’ we’d originally bought.” The couple eventually moved into the cabin at Christmas 2019 and lived there together until Busfield’s recent arrest.
The disturbing circumstances surrounding Busfield’s legal issues and the condition of the cabin have drawn significant media attention. As the investigation continues, the implications of these allegations will likely unfold further in the public eye.
