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NEED TO KNOW
According to a source, Melissa Gilbert was "sick with worry" while her husband Timothy Busfield was in jail
The West Wing actor had been in custody for a week while awaiting his pretrial detention hearing after his arrest on child sex abuse allegations
He was officially charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13) and one count of child abuse on Jan. 13
Melissa Gilbertis "grateful" that husbandTimothy Busfieldis no longer in jail.
After spending a week behind bars in a New Mexico facility, Busfield wasreleased on Jan. 20 pending his trialon charges of child sexual abuse. A source tells PEOPLE that it's a relief for both Busfield, 68, andThe Little House on the Prairiealum, 61.
"The court hearing was obviously very emotional and stressful," the source says. "Things are clearly far from over, but the main focus of getting Tim out of jail was accomplished. They're both very grateful. Melissa has been sick with worry that something would happen to him in jail."
The insider adds that they're "very involved" working with their lawyer on the defense. "They have this huge group of friends that support and check in on them every day," the source says. "Melissa is very grateful for the support. She'll be attending all the court hearings with Tim. She believes he's innocent."
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When the ruling was announced on Jan. 20, an emotional Gilbert whispered, "Thank you, God," from the courtroom audience. She has strongly supported Busfield,whom she married in April 2013, since he surrendered to police.
On Jan. 13, theWest Wingactor surrendered to authorities and wasofficially chargedwith two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (child under 13) and one count of child abuse. Four days prior, the Albuquerque Police Departmentissued an arrest warrantalleging that Busfield engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with 11-year-old twin boys, whom he met on the set of FOX'sThe Cleaning Ladywhen they were child actors and he served as a director.
"Melissa stands with and supports her husband," Gilbert's representative Ame Van Iden said in a statement issued on the actress' behalf at the time.
Before turning himself in, Busfield proclaimed his innocence in a video obtained byTMZ.
"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.
Ahead of his pretrial detention hearing, Gilbert was one of 75 people whowrote letters of supportfor Busfield to the judge in the case.
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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."
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In the days leading up to the hearing, a source told PEOPLE that "the past week has been a nightmare for Melissa," echoing her worries about Busfield being in jail.
"She's very concerned about Tim in jail. She wants him out so he's safe. The detention facility where he's being held has safety issue complaints. Her focus is to try and get him out this week," the source said at the time.
When Busfield was released, his civil lawyer Larry Stein told PEOPLE thatthe couple was "still in shockthat 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."
"We're taking one day at a time," Stein concluded.
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.
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