Melissa Gilbert's Emotional Plea for Husband Timothy Busfield

Actress Melissa Gilbert is speaking out in an emotional plea to a judge after her husband, actor Timothy Busfield, was arrested on charges of alleged criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse. Busfield -- best known for his role as Danny Concannon on "The West Wing" -- turned himself in to authorities last week and is being held in custody in New Mexico with no bond. Gilbert pleaded with the judge, "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 you to protect him for me." She said, "Tim has the strongest moral compass of any human I have ever known. He has dedicated his spiritual self to always being of service to others." Gilbert also wrote about her husband's relationship with her son Michael, saying, "Tim nurtured and guided Michael. ... I will never be able to express the depth of gratitude I have to God for bringing this wonderful human into our lives." Gilbert's letter is among 70 letters of support, including from Busfield's stepson Michael and his former "Thirtysomething" co-stars Ken Olin and Peter Horton. The charges against Busfield stem from accusations that he inappropriately touched a child actor on the set of his show "The Cleaning Lady," according to a criminal complaint obtained by ABC News. According to court documents, the child's parents reported that the alleged abuse began in 2022, when the child was 7 years old, and lasted until 2024. Busfield denied the allegations when interviewed by investigators, according to the criminal complaint. Busfield's attorney said in a statement last week, "Tim Busfield denies the allegations in the criminal complaint and maintains they are completely false. As a voluntary step, he submitted to an independent polygraph examination regarding those allegations and passed." Busfield's next hearing is on Jan. 20 to determine whether he will remain in custody or be released pending trial, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman said last week. The DA will then bring formal charges and Busfield will be arraigned on the formal charges, Bregman said.