Timothy Busfield's child sex abuse case has been dismissed by a New Mexico judge. Judge Joseph Montano ruled on October 16, 2026, that the prosecutor "failed to act in a fair and impartial manner," USA Today reported. He granted a defense motion to dismiss the grand jury indictment, the BBC said. Busfield, 69, has denied all the allegations.The ruling concerns how prosecutors presented the case, according to the BBC. A spokesperson for the Second Judicial District Attorney's Office in Bernalillo County told the outlet that the office had received the order. The office is evaluating its options for how to proceed.Timothy Busfield charges: what the indictment allegedTimothy Busfield was indicted in February on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child, USA Today reported. The charges involved two minor twin boys. The alleged incidents took place while he worked as a director on Fox's "The Cleaning Lady." The BBC said the accusations came from child actors on the series, which he directed and produced.The BBC reviewed the indictment. It alleged that between October 19, 2022, and September 10, 2023, he touched the intimate parts of one of the unnamed boys, who was under 13. Both boys told authorities they were touched inappropriately for years, according to his arrest affidavit, the BBC reported. Prosecutors said in an arrest warrant that the boys' parents alleged grooming and abuse.Radar Online @radar_onlineLINKTimothy Busfield is facing new claims about his behavior on the set of The Cleaning Lady. A crew member reportedly described the actor as a “creepy guy,” alleging that cast and crew members would “all stay away from him.” The comments come amid scrutiny surrounding Busfield and his time on the show. (📸: MEGA)Timothy Busfield surrendered to state authorities in January after the warrant was issued, the BBC said. He was first taken into custody in Albuquerque on two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse. A judge later ordered his release pending trial.His defense team submitted more than 70 character letters. It also said he took and passed a polygraph test related to the allegations. His lawyers said the accusations were an act of revenge after the children were fired from the series, which angered their mother, the BBC reported.Why the judge dismissed the indictment and how Melissa Gilbert respondedJudge Montano found that grand jurors asked for more witness testimony before returning the indictment, USA Today reported. The prosecutor allegedly told the 12 jurors that this would require a subpoena and 36 hours' notice. The jurors were not told that a judge could allow a shorter window. They also were not told that witnesses could testify willingly without a subpoena.In his order, the judge said the prosecutor failed to instruct the panel properly on the law for calling witnesses.Timothy Busfield's wife, actor Melissa Gilbert, posted a line on Instagram on October 16:"So shines a good deed in a weary world."She also shared a New York Times article on the case in her Instagram Story, USA Today said. The couple began a relationship in 2012 and married in 2013.Melissa Gilbert described the arrest and its aftermath as "the most traumatizing experience of our lives" in an April 6 "Good Morning America" interview. She said she was "100% confident he will be exonerated." In January, she wrote one of the character letters to a judge of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court.