The authorities have alleged that the actor engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with 11-year-old twin boys

Melissa Gilbert; Timothy Busfield
Timothy Busfield; Melissa Gilbert.Credit : Modern Prairie/Instagram; Sam Wasson/Getty

Melissa Gilbert is speaking out for the first time after her husband Timothy Busfield was charged with child sex abuse crimes.

In a Jan. 26 statement shared via her company, Modern Prairie, Gilbert, 61, said that she is “sending you all my love and gratitude during this extraordinarily difficult time.”

In Gilbert’s statement, she said that it’s an “extraordinarily difficult” time “not only for Tim, me and our family, but in the collective heaviness so many of us seem to be carrying right now.” She said adding in “an unexpected storm to the mix, it “can all feel like a bit too much.”

“This season has reminded me, very clearly, how important it is to slow down, prioritize what truly matters, and allow ourselves moments of rest,” she wrote. “Stepping back from the noise, the news, and even our daily responsibilities from time to time gives us space to recharge, reflect, and find our center again.”

Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Gilbert from an Instagram post on Jan. 26.Modern Prairie/Instagram

She then thanked fans for their support. “Thank you, truly, for the love, patience, and support you continue to show Tim and me. Thank you for helping me to feel safer, more grounded, and deeply held by this extraordinary community of women here at Modern Prairie.”

Gilbert ended the note by saying she’ll be “easing back into things thoughtfully and with care – moving forward one step at a time. More to come, and so much gratitude always.”

Busfield, 68, has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. On Jan. 20 he was released from custody in New Mexico as he awaits trial on the charges.

On Tuesday, Jan. 13, Busfield turned himself in to authorities after the Albuquerque Police Department issued an arrest warrant on Jan. 9, alleging he engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with two 11-year-old boys. Hours after his surrender, the Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced that he filed official charges against Busfield, as well as a motion for pretrial detention.

The APD claimed in the arrest warrant that The West Wing actor engaged in the conduct with 11-year-old twin boys whose identities were withheld from the public. One of the minors alleged that the incidents began when he was 7 years old.

Per the warrant, the victims’ parents said the minors were child actors who met Busfield on the set of the FOX series The Cleaning Lady, where Busfield served as a director.

Timothy Busfield New York Stage & Film Winter Gala, USA - 09 Dec 2018
Timothy Busfield.NameFace LLC/Shutterstock

Before turning himself in, Busfield proclaimed his innocence in a video obtained by TMZ.

“They’re all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys and I’m gonna fight it. I’m gonna fight it with a great team, and I’m gonna be exonerated, I know I am, because this is all so wrong and all lies,” he said at the time.

FOR LIFE - ABC's "For Life" stars Timothy Busfield as Henry Roswell.
Timothy Busfield.Giovanni Rufino via Getty

Gilbert previously expressed her support of her husband on Jan. 13, in a statement issued on her behalf by representative, Ame Van Iden.

“Melissa Gilbert is not making public statements at this time,” the statement began. “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,” the statement continued. “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.”

Ahead of his pretrial detention hearing, Gilbert was one of 75 people who wrote letters of support for Busfield to the judge in the case.

She called Busfield “my love, my rock, my partner in business and life,” adding that she knows him “better and more intimately than anything in his life ever has.”

She then asked the judge to keep him safe while in jail. “I only want this extraordinary man safe and whole. So, I will close by asking you to please, please, take care of my sweet husband,” she wrote. “As he is my protector, I am his, but I cannot protect him now and I think that, more than anything else, is what is truly breaking my heart, I am relying on your to protect him for me.”

Director/producer Timothy Busfield (L) and producer Melissa Gilbert pose for portrait at the 34th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival - "Guest Artist" Photo Call at Metro 4 Theatres on February 07, 2019 in Santa Barbara, California.
Timothy Busfield and Melissa Gilbert in 2019.Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

Gilbert appeared at Busfield’s two-hour pretrial detention hearing in New Mexico on Tuesday, Jan. 20, and cried when the judge decided he would be released with conditions while he awaits trial. After the news was announced, she was seen whispering, “Thank you, God.”

After he was released, Busfield’s civil lawyer Larry Stein told PEOPLE that the couple was “still in shock that it happened to them and they’re still distressed. But obviously they’re in a better mood than they were yesterday before he was released.”

He added, “We’re taking one day at a time.”

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.