Child sexual assault; Pewaukee school bus driver faces more charges
Child sexual assault; Pewaukee school bus driver faces more charges
A Pewaukee school bus driver charged with the repeated sexual assault of a child is now facing additional charges.
PEWAUKEE, Wis. - He was supposed to keep kids safe on his school bus, but a Pewaukee bus driver is accused of sexually assaulting multiple children.
Bus driver charged
What we know:
For the second time in less than two weeks, 62-year-old Thomas Felser was back in Waukesha County Court. He has been charged with the following:
- Repeated sexual assault of a child
- Sexual misconduct by school staff or volunteer (5 charges)
- First-degree child sexual assault - sexual contact with a child under age 13
Thomas Felser
Additional charges were added after a second victim was discovered.
Police reviewed additional bus surveillance video from April through the end of May. In the recordings, police say Felser put his hand under a 5-year-old girl’s skirt.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Police say Felser told the girl, "You are too little, stay with daddy." Later, police said he was seen "laying over" the victim and then "picks her up and puts her on his lap."
Thomas Felser
According to the criminal complaint, Felser called the preschooler a "cute little baby" and said "don’t tell anybody."
Prosecutors previously said the 62-year-old gave candy to a 6-year-old who sat on his lap. Police said he also put his hand down that girl’s pants.
Prosecutors say those crimes happened between the start of the school year and last month.
Felser entered not guilty pleas to all charges.
Working with kids
Dig deeper:
The Pewaukee School District said Felser was a teacher at Pewaukee High School and Asa Clark Middle School for 37 years. He retired in 2020 and most recently worked as a summer school teacher in 2024.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
As of Thursday, May 15, Felser's current employer, Go Riteway, placed him on leave.
The Village of Pewaukee Police Department said it has no additional leads or victims at this time, but the case against Felser remains open.
In court
What's next:
Prosecutors also want Felser to pay an additional $50,000 cash bail, upping the total needed to get out of jail to $400,000.
A bond hearing is set for Monday, June 2.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access as well as the criminal complaint associated with this case.