Actor Timothy Busfield, known for his US prime-time roles on The West Wing and Thirtysomething, has been indicted on child sex offence charges.
He is accused of groping a young boy on the set of a television show he was directing and producing.
The four-count indictment, returned by a grand jury in New Mexico on Friday, came a little more than two weeks after a state court judge found the evidence previously lodged against Busfield by prosecutors to be "neutral" and ordered him freed from pre-trial detention.
Busfield, 68, who surrendered to authorities in January in Albuquerque when first charged in a criminal complaint, has steadfastly professed his innocence, calling the allegations "lies".
Prosecutors alleged in an affidavit accompanying the original complaint that Busfield improperly touched two young cast members - twin boys - while directing the Fox TV drama The Cleaning Lady. The show was filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city.
The twins, now 11, reported the alleged contact occurred over a two-year period, when they were aged seven and eight, during breaks in production, prosecutors said in the complaint.
According to the affidavit, one of the boys reported multiple instances of Busfield touching his "private areas" over his clothes. His brother also reported being touched by Busfield, but was less specific, the affidavit said.
The grand jury indictment, which supersedes the complaint, contains four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child, a third-degree felony in New Mexico, and is based on allegations Busfield groped only one of the brothers.
The indictment also contains no general charge of child abuse, as the complaint did, though the complaint carried just two counts of criminal sexual contact, rather than four.
Busfield, who was an executive producer of the show and began directing episodes around the end of season two in 2022, said in a videotaped statement he released prior to his arrest, "I did not do anything to those little boys".
In court in January, defence lawyer Christopher Dodd described the boys' mother and father in court as "scam artists" who were out to exact "revenge" on Busfield after their sons were replaced in the cast of The Cleaning Lady.
Dodd also asserted both boys denied they were sexually abused by Busfield when first questioned by a law enforcement officer.
An arraignment, in which the actor would enter a plea to the charges, was set for February 16, according to Dodd.
Busfield is best known for his prime-time television roles as a White House reporter on the political drama The West Wing, which ran from 1999 to 2006, and as an advertising agency executive on the 1980s ensemble series Thirtysomething.
He also appeared in the 1989 baseball fantasy film Field of Dreams.
He is married to Melissa Gilbert, an actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
