Timothy Busfield — accused of child sex abuse — has a strong moral compass, and he’s universally loved by professional colleagues … so says his wife, Melissa Gilbert.

The “Little House on the Prairie” star vehemently defended her husband in a letter to the judge in his case while the court weighed whether to allow him out of custody prior to his trial.

In the letter MG describes Busfield as her “love” and “rock” in both business and life … adding he’s the “beating heart of our wild and wonderful extended family.”

Speaking of Michael, he also wrote a letter in support of Timothy … referring to him as a “hero” — showing up for him more often over the last 15 years than his biological father, actor Bruce Boxleitner, ever has.

Boxleitner lauds Busfield’s “stalwart integrity,” and says there is “no man on this earth more worthy of respect, kindness and care in [Michael’s] eyes.”

As you know … Busfield surrendered to authorities in New Mexico earlier this week after a warrant was out for his arrest — which alleged he sexually assaulted two kids on the set of “The Cleaning Lady.”

As we all impatiently wait for the next batch of the Epstein files to drop, a mystery has surfaced from the old batch … a very puzzling, four-legged (we think) mystery.

Check out this bizarre photo of what appears to be a shaggy pooch stuffed, or sitting, in a garbage bag … which was placed inside a cardboard box.

The pic was buried inside a mountain of documents and visual footage released last month by the Department of Justice as part of the now-stalled rollout of the Epstein files.

The snapshot was overshadowed by all the attention on pics of famous people like Bill Clinton, Chris Tucker and Mick Jagger, but we dug it up for you now.

Now, there is this one clue — a 2003 Vanity Fair article describes a “stuffed black poodle” Epstein had on top of a grand piano in his NYC townhouse.

We did find a photo resembling that pooch in the files — but it doesn’t seem to be the same dog in the mystery pic.

Luann de Lesseps turned the shore of Mexico into her own personal gym … performing acrobatics on the beach with the help of a pal — and flashing her booty in the process.

Watch the video — the reality TV star had a flipping fun time out on the sand during her recent vacation in Tulum … putting her hands down and flicking her body up to playfully stand on her hands.

A man with her holds her legs — so she’s not exactly holding herself up like a circus performer. She did put on quite the show, though … because when her cover-up fell down her body, it revealed her tiny bikini bottoms that left little to the imagination.

The two locked lips in the clear blue water … with de Lesseps later standing to reveal her teeny yellow two-piece bikini.