Judge in Timothy Busfield sexual abuse case dismissed charges because of supposed irresponsibility by prosecutors

It's very sad, but a travesty of justice occurred involving a man who turned out to be a monster in Hollywood:

A New Mexico judge has dismissed an indictment against “West Wing” and “Field of Dreams” actor Timothy Busfield that accused him of criminal sexual contact with a child, citing prosecutorial misconduct and errors that undermined the grand jury process.

State District Judge Joseph Montano granted a defense motion to toss the charges in a decision released Friday.

Well this is sad, but even in the post-Harvey Weinstein era, not shocking at all. According to this item:

State District Judge Joseph Montano dismissed the four-count indictment on October 16, 2026, finding that prosecutors failed to act fairly and impartially while presenting allegations involving a child actor on the Albuquerque set of The Cleaning Lady. The ruling leaves authorities free to seek a new indictment.

Eight witnesses had been waiting outside the courtroom, ready to testify, when grand jurors repeatedly asked to hear additional evidence. Rather than calling them, prosecutors imposed voting requirements the judge later found had no basis in state law.

If the prosecution acted improperly, that was wrong and definitely stupid, because now, even though the court of public opinion can ensure Busfield's career is over, that still doesn't mean he should be allowed to run around loose. The district attorney may try to refile the case, but their errors can still end up doing serious harm to the victims of Busfield in particular, and I can't understand why they had to make such awful mistakes. Time will tell if an attempt is made to correct this botch, and until then, Busfield, along with his disgraceful wife, Melissa Gilbert, should be ostracized.