PEWAUKEE, Wis. — New charges have been filed against Thomas Felser, a Pewaukee school bus driver accused of sexual assault and misconduct involving children.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Pewaukee school bus driver charged with sexual misconduct involving 6-year-old student
Felser is now facing the following charges:
- Repeated sexual assault of a child
- Five counts of sexual misconduct by school staff or volunteer
- First-degree child sexual assault
Felser was initially charged on May 16; however, prosecutors filed an amended criminal complaint on May 27 after a review of surveillance video identified a second victim — a 5-year-old child.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Pewaukee bus driver arrested for incident involving child under 12
According to the complaint, investigators reviewed dozens of bus videos from April to May 2025. One video allegedly shows Felser inappropriately touching the 5-year-old’s private parts on May 6.
The complaint also details several other inappropriate incidents between Felser and the child, which prosecutors said often involved a “monster game” used to isolate the child. In a forensic interview, the 5-year-old allegedly said she didn’t tell anyone about Felser because “it’s inappropriate.”
Watch: New charges filed against Pewaukee bus driver accused of child sexual assault
Initial investigation
Prosecutors said Felser first came to police attention on May 13, when an officer responded to a report from a mother who said she found her daughter alone with Felser.
The mother told the officer that she used a GPS bus tracking app and noticed the bus had not moved for about 10 minutes. According to the complaint, when she arrived, she didn’t immediately see anyone on the bus. She said that after she called her daughter’s name, Felser quickly popped his head up from a seat in the middle of the bus.
The mother said Felser told her he was just talking to the girl about her day. She also told police her daughter had come home on at least two occasions with candy given to her by the bus driver.
Previous coverage: Pewaukee bus driver arrested for incident involving child under 12
During the investigation, prosecutors said multiple incidents captured on bus surveillance video from April to May 2025 show Felser having the 6-year-old girl sit on his lap, inappropriately touching her, and check the color of her underwear.
In a forensic interview, the child allegedly said Felser told her not to tell anyone because he could get in trouble.
Felser’s employment history
According to the complaint, Felser previously worked as a teacher in the Pewaukee School District for more than 30 years, teaching at Pewaukee High School and Asa Middle School. Prosecutors said he was also a summer school teacher and independent tutor, and began driving school buses for Go Riteway in fall 2024.
The bus company manager said she never received complaints about Felser and noted that he didn’t write up students for poor behavior — which she said was unusual. She allegedly told investigators she wondered if he avoided doing so to prevent the bus video from being reviewed.
What’s next
Felser appeared in court on Wednesday, May 28, where his attorney filed a waiver of preliminary hearing and entered a not guilty plea.
His bond is set at $350,000 and is due back in court June 2 for a bail/bond hearing, according to court records.
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