Timothy Busfield<\/strong>\u2019s wife, Melissa Gilbert<\/strong>, penned an emotional letter begging a judge to keep her husband \u201csafe\u201d as he remains behind bars amid child sex abuse charges.<\/p>\n The Little House on the Prairie<\/em> alum, 61, began her message reflecting on how she met Busfield in the \u201880s and eventually fell in love with him in 2012. The pair tied the knot in 2013 and have been married for nearly 13 years.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is that Tim Busfield is my love, my rock, my partner in business and life,\u201d she wrote, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly<\/em> on Friday, January 16. \u201cHe is my comfort and my council. His joy, humor and quick wit bring sparkle to my life. Tim is, quite simply, the beating heart of our wild and wonderful extended family.\u201d<\/p>\n Claiming that the West Wing<\/em> actor, 68, \u201chas the strongest moral compass of any human I have ever known,\u201d she further described him as someone who \u201cdedicated his spiritual self to always being of service to others\u201d and who leads his life with \u201ckindness and compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n Gilbert also praised him as a father figure to her youngest son, Michael, who she claimed Busfield \u201cnurtured and guided\u201d through angsty teen years.<\/p>\n Near the conclusion of the letter, the 61-year-old lamented that she was no longer able to \u201cprotect\u201d her husband in this difficult time.<\/p>\n \u201cYour Honor, this is the strangest letter I\u2019ve ever had to write. I only want this extraordinary man safe and whole,\u201d she said. \u201cPlease, 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 [you] to protect him for me.\u201d<\/p>\n As Us<\/em> previously reported, an arrest warrant was issued for Busfield\u2019s arrest on January 9 after he was accused of inappropriately touching two twin boys on the set of The Cleaning Lady<\/em>. According to the complaint, the actor allegedly touched the child actors in their \u201cprivate areas,\u201d picked them up and tickled them on several occasions between 2022 and 2024.<\/p>\n Although Busfield admitted to police that it was \u201chighly likely\u201d he had come into physical contact with the boys on set, he denied all abuse charges and pledged to \u201cconfront\u201d the \u201clies\u201d allegedly being told about him. His attorney, Larry Stein<\/strong>, additionally alleged that his client had already \u201csubmitted to an independent polygraph examination regarding those allegations and passed.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Inside-the-Jail-Where-Timothy-Busfield-Being-Held-Mugshot.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Timothy Busfield<\/span> Albuquerque Police Department via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n