Excuse me? Wonderful? Excited?
What Exactly Just Happened Here?
Okay, let’s back up a second, because I’m still trying to process those quotes. So, the news broke early Wednesday, January 21 – police records, obtained by Us Weekly, confirmed Busfield was sprung the day before. A New Mexico judge, God bless ’em, actually denied the state’s whole motion to keep him locked up leading up to and during his trial.
Think about that for a minute. The state, meaning the prosecution, wanted to keep this guy in custody. And a judge said, “Nah, you’re good.” I mean, I’m not a lawyer, but usually, when the state pushes for pretrial detention, it’s not because they think the guy’s just a little bit naughty, right? It’s usually when they think there’s a serious risk – flight risk, danger to the community, you know, the usual stuff.
The “Wonderful” and “Excited” Part That’s Sticking With Me
But honestly, the part that’s really, truly gnawing at me, is this “wonderful” and “excited” business. Look, I get it. No one wants to be in jail. Even if you’re, you know, innocent until proven guilty and all that jazz, it’s gotta suck. But “wonderful”? For someone facing these kinds of allegations? It just feels… tone-deaf. Seriously tone-deaf.
And Melissa Gilbert being “very, very excited” to reunite with him? I’m not gonna lie, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I understand standing by your partner. I do. But the language here, the absolute giddiness, given the gravity of the accusations… it just screams a complete lack of awareness, or worse, a willful disregard for the victims, alleged or otherwise. It’s like, who cares about the actual charges when you’re just so happy to be home?
Is This Normal? (Spoiler: Not Really)
So, a judge letting someone out before trial, even on serious charges, isn’t totally unheard of. It happens. Bail exists. But usually, it’s a huge fight, and often there are strict conditions. From what I can tell from the reports, the judge here just straight-up denied the motion to keep him in custody. Not “set a high bail,” but “no, you don’t even need to be in custody.” Which, again, for these kinds of charges, feels… significant. And a little eyebrow-raising.
“He can reunite with Melissa [Gilbert, his wife],” Stein told the outlet, noting that Gilbert is “very, very excited.”
This isn’t some guy accused of shoplifting a candy bar. We’re talking alleged child sex abuse. And a New Mexico judge decided that, nope, he’s not a flight risk, not a danger, doesn’t need to be kept locked up. I mean, I’m just reading the news, but the optics are terrible. Absolutely terrible. For the alleged victims, for anyone who cares about protecting kids, this has got to be a punch to the gut.
What This Actually Means
Here’s the thing: this isn’t about guilt or innocence right now. That’s for the trial, for the courts to figure out. But this is about perception. It’s about how the justice system appears to the public. And when an actor, someone recognizable from shows like thirtysomething or The West Wing, gets out of jail on these kinds of charges, with his lawyer saying he feels “wonderful” and his wife is “very, very excited”… it just looks bad. Really bad.
It sends a message, whether intended or not, that perhaps the rules are different for some people. Or that the severity of the charges isn’t always reflected in the pretrial decisions. And that’s a problem. That erodes public trust.
What’s next? Well, he’s out. He’s going to be home. And he’s going to be awaiting trial. That’s the cold, hard fact. But the casualness of his release, the almost celebratory tone from his legal team, it just leaves a bitter taste. We’ll have to see how this trial unfolds, and if the “wonderful” feeling holds up, but for now, it’s just another stark reminder that sometimes, the real world is a lot messier than any TV script. And a whole lot less “wonderful” for a lot of people.
