In a dramatic turn of events, U.S. Marshals, heavily armed and ready for action, descended on the upstate New York residence of actor Timothy Busfield and his wife Melissa Gilbert. This raid unfolded just under an hour after Busfield had voluntarily surrendered to authorities, located some 2,000 miles away.

The catalyst for this high-stakes operation was a warrant issued by Albuquerque, New Mexico police, accusing the actor known for his role in “The West Wing,” of two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse. These allegations are said to have occurred on the set of his television series, “The Cleaning Lady.”

In the quaint Catskill Mountains town of Highland Lake, a team of at least ten officers from the New York Regional Fugitive Task Force forcefully entered the $300,000 home of the “Little House on the Prairie” star, demanding any occupants emerge. The operation, witnessed exclusively by the Daily Mail, came hot on the heels of Busfield’s surrender in New Mexico, where he firmly proclaimed his innocence.

When initial calls at the door were met with silence, the marshals, equipped head to toe with helmets, shields, and assault rifles, took decisive action. They breached the residence, employing a battering ram to dismantle the front door, ready to face whatever situation awaited them inside.

When they received no response at the door, the marshals, fitted with helmets and shields and armed with assault rifles and riot gear, burst into the home using a battering ram to knock open the white front door.

Several law enforcement officers spent around ten minutes examining the interior, before clearing the rear of the snowy property, which also has an RV and outhouse.

They did not appear to take any belongings when they left.

Seven vehicles pulled into the driveway of the secluded home 20 minutes from the Pennsylvania border, which the couple have called their retreat.

Heavily armed US Marshals were seen descending on the secluded Catskills home of Timothy Busfield and Melissa Gilbert, smashing through the front door with a battering ram during a dramatic raid on Tuesday 

At least ten officers in helmets, shields, and tactical gear stormed the $300,000 upstate New York retreat less than an hour after Gilbert’s husband Timothy Busfield surrendered to police 2,000 miles away

Busfield turned himself in to law enforcement in New Mexico on Tuesday but insisted he was innocent of child sex accusations

Following the raid which lasted around 20 minutes, one stern-faced officer declined to comment when asked by the Daily Mail if they knew Busfield had handed himself in shortly before their probe. 

It is unclear if Gilbert travelled to New Mexico to support her husband, but no one was at the property when the marshals arrives. 

As the marshals left, they closed the door, which was still on its hinges, and pushed the storm door shut.

The Emmy award-winning actor, 68, said in a video to TMZ when he turned himself in on Tuesday that he will be denying the charges. 

‘I will confront these lies,’ Busfield told the outlet from the office of his attorney in Albuquerque. ‘I did not do anything to those little boys.’ 

‘I was ordered to come to Albuquerque, and well, I’m here now,’ Busfield said to the camera.

‘I got the call Friday night, I had to get a lawyer, and on Saturday I got a car and drove 2,000 miles to Albuquerque.’ 

Marshals searched the interior of the house for around ten minutes before checking the rear of the property, which includes an RV and an outhouse

The raid came just two days after an arrest warrant was issued for Busfield in New Mexico on child sex-related charges, which he has denied

No one appeared to be home at the time of the raid, with officers eventually departing the quiet lakeside neighborhood

Busfield described allegations that he inappropriately touched two young boys in 2022 on the set of the TV show ‘The Cleaning Lady’, which he was directing, as ‘horrible lies’, and vowed to fight the charges. 

‘They’re all lies, and I did not do anything,’ he said. ‘I’m gonna fight it with a great team, and I know I’m going to be exonerated. 

‘I know I am, because this is all so wrong and all lies.’

Gilbert also leapt to her husband’s defense Tuesday, saying she is ‘standing by him’ in a new statement.

The actress’s representative told People magazine: ‘Melissa Gilbert is not making public statements at this time.

‘Any purported “statements” circulating online – including AI-generated deepfakes of her ‘breaking her silence’ — should not be treated as coming from her.

‘She is honoring the request of Tim’s lawyers not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds. During this period, her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment. 

‘Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time. We ask that their privacy be respected.’

Officers armed with assault rifles were seen fanning out around the Catskills retreat, which Gilbert and Busfield have described as their private getaway

Gilbert said she and Busfield moved to New York State because of the pressures of living in LA made her feel she was ‘not being authentically myself’

Documents seen by the Daily Mail show Busfield is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County, and his first court appearance is set for Wednesday at 1:30pm from the county jail. 

According to a warrant for his arrest, an investigation into Busfield was opened in November 2024 when staff at the University of New Mexico Hospital called police and reported children potentially being groomed on the studio set. 

Busfield has denied allegations that he inappropriately touched two young  brothers when they were seven. 

During a police interview in November, Busfield reportedly told investigators that the allegations against him were a revenge plot by the parents of the boys because he didn’t invite them back to the show.  

The actor’s civil lawyer Larry Stein repeated the same claims to TMZ as Busfield turned himself in this week, alleging that an actress on the TV set claims the mother of the boys told her she vowed to get revenge on Busfield. 

Busfield allegedly told the children ‘to call him Uncle Tim’, and the criminal complaint said he ‘would tickle them on the stomach and legs, despite them not liking the tickling.’

The children did not allege sexual touching at the time, but in October 2025 one of the parents reported to Child Protective Services that her child disclosed alleged sexual abuse by Busfield, the warrant said.

The child told a therapist that Busfield touched his ‘genitalia’ and ‘bottom’ while in a bedroom on the set of the TV show, according to the affidavit first reported by KTLA. 

When questioned about the allegations, Busfield allegedly claimed the boys’ parents wanted ‘revenge’ on him after their children were not asked back for the show’s final season. (Busfield’s mugshot is pictured)

According to the affidavit, Busfield told an officer that he had ‘playful’ contact with the children on his set, but denied any wrongdoing. Busfield was said to have ‘grown close to the boys’ while they were on the set of his TV show, per a criminal complaint filed last week in New Mexico. 

The arrest warrant claimed that Busfield and Gilbert had a ‘relationship’ with the alleged victims and their families outside of work. 

‘They advised that they did buy the two boys Christmas gifts and were together [at] several social functions,’ read the warrant written by Albuquerque Police Officer Marvin Brown. 

Brown stated Busfield ‘would invite the family to off-set gatherings, with his wife buying Christmas gifts to foster closeness.’ 

According to a complaint filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, the alleged abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024.

At least one of the children in the case was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder following the alleged abuse, according to the complaint.

The actor has been married to Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert since 2013.

Gilbert shot to fame as a child in the 1960s, and went on to become one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood, including serving as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005.

Busfield pictured starring as character Danny Concannon on hit TV show The West Wing

Gilbert seen far right with Melissa Sue Anderson, far left, and Lindsay Greenbush, center, on Little House On The Prairie

Following a stint on Dancing with the Stars in 2012, Gilbert ran for Congress in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District three years later, but after becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee she dropped out of the race, citing health issues.

The pair celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary in April 2025, and Gilbert said in a social media post at the time that their marriage was ‘perfect.’

She runs the Wisconsin-based lifestyle group Modern Prairie. On Tuesday it put out a statement saying it was aware of the allegations against Busfield and ‘unequivocally condemns abuse in any form’.

The company added: ‘While these matters are personal and do not directly involve Melissa or the brand, we are respecting the privacy of the family as they navigate a difficult and personal situation.’