The trial of a former Pewaukee bus driver and school teacher accused of sexually assaulting preschool-aged children gets underway. The mother of one of the victims testified that she called police when she found her daughter and Thomas Felser alone on a parked bus.
"This case is about a bus driver entrusted with the safety of the students and instead getting the children safely to their destination, he preyed upon them," prosecutor Vivien Morris said.
Thomas Felser faces multiple counts of sexual assault. He is accused of sexually assaulting four preschool and kindergarten-age children. Felser was also a longtime math and science teacher.
The mother of one of the victims testified that she noticed the bus was not moving one day when her daughter was supposed to be dropped off. She tracked the location of the bus through a GPS app.
Surveillance video from the bus shows Felser in the middle of the bus with his head down. The victim is out of view but sitting next to him — where the mother said she found her daughter.
Watch: Pewaukee mom testifies she found daughter and bus driver alone on parked bus
"I knew it was completely out of the norm, and I could see the look on Tom Felser's face, and I could see the look on my daughter's face, and I wanted it investigated," she said.
She says she took her daughter home and then called the bus company, the school, and the police when she saw how her daughter was acting.
"I could see her chest, and I could see it beating, and I had a strong suspicion that something had gone on for whatever reason she was scared," the mother said.
Police reviewed video footage from the bus and say they found other children who were also victims. They could see on the video children sitting by themselves on Fesler’s lap while the bus was empty. Prosecutors say additional videos will be shown to jurors in which Felser can be seen touching children on the bus.
Felser's defense attorney, Craig Powell, told jurors his client is innocent and that investigators are misreading what they saw.
"It is all in how it is interpreted and seeing what they want to see," Powell said.
Felser has pleaded not guilty. The trial is expected to continue through the week.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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