Actor Timothy Busfield has pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal sexual contact of a minor

Timothy Busfield has pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal sexual contact of a minor.

The 68-year-old actor – who is married to Little House On The Prairie actress Melissa Gilbert – was indicted by a grand jury on February 6 on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child and four days later, he pleaded not guilty.

According to PEOPLE, the not-guilty plea entry was filed in New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court.

He also requested to waive his arraignment and appearances in court for all pretrial proceedings, which Judge Joseph Montano granted.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the initial witness list put together by state prosecutors “includes four people who have previously accused the actor of sexual misconduct”.

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman previously announced the indictment and said in a statement: “As with all criminal proceedings, Mr. Busfield is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. This case will proceed through the judicial process and is expected to move forward to trial."

The Special Victims Unit of the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office will be prosecutors on the case, per the statement, and Bregman insisted that “protecting children remains a top priority for his office”.

He went on to say: “The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office remains committed to doing everything possible to protect children and ensure justice for victims across New Mexico.”