A Pewaukee school bus driver is facing four counts of sexual misconduct for allegedly repeated abuse of a 6-year-old student he was in charge of driving home.
Court documents show 62-year-old Thomas W. Felser was arrested after the girl's mother tracked the school bus and came upon a suspicious scene. According to the criminal complaint, the mother was using an app to track the location of the bus when she noticed it hadn't moved in 10 minutes. When she drove to the location, she didn't immediately see anyone on the bus. She said that after she started calling her daughter's name, Felser popped his head up "super fast" from a seat in the middle of the school bus. He told her he was just talking to the girl about her day.
The mother told police her daughter had come home on at least two occasions with packages of candy given to her by the bus driver.
Surveillance footage shows a pattern of Felser sitting alone on the bus with the victim for extended periods of time while the bus was stopped. At one point, Felser can be heard telling the child that if her parents ask what took so long to tell them they were dropping off other kids.
The victim told authorities that she and Felser "check the bus together" because she is the last stop. When asked what "check the bus" means, the child said that they pick up garbage and sweep and that Felser puts her on his lap. She also said that Felser checks the color of her underwear and touches her private parts.
Felser began driving for the district in 2024. Prior to that, he had been a teacher in the district for more than 30 years. According to the manager of the bus company, this was the first complaint ever brought against Felser.
Felser made his first court appearance Friday. A cash bond was set at $350,000.
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