School bus driver OWI; Hartland man charged with 29 total counts

A Hartland man is accused of operating a school bus while intoxicated with students on board on Monday. In addition to OWI, he's charged with 28 counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety.

Walter Cunningham, 72, made his initial court appearance on Wednesday. Court records show his bond was set at $1 million. 

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Bus driver arrested

What they're saying:

A criminal complaint states there were 27 kids, between the ages of 4 and 14, on the bus that day.

Prosecutors said a student on the bus called 911 to report their bus driver, now identified as Cunningham, would not let students off the bus. Dispatch noted "a lot of chaos and screaming" in the background of the phone call.

Officers arrived at the scene and found "a bunch of kids running in the road and on the side of it away from the bus," per the complaint. The bus then drove away, but the officer pulled it over on Marquette Court and spoke to Cunningham.

Prosecutors said Cunningham told police that he was trying to figure out where he needed to go for the route, and the kids were "screaming at him" and "all riled up." He said a parent pulled in front of him, wanting his kids off the bus after one of them called about what was going on. 

School bus driver arrested in Hartland (Courtesy: Angelique Tober)

The complaint states Cunningham later said he picked up the kids but did not stop anywhere or drop any of them off. He said he never kicked anyone off the bus, but said they "flew off the bus." Detectives said many of the kids tried to walk home, crossing roads during rush hour.

The officer noted Cunningham's speech was slurred at times, thick and heavy, according to court filings. His eyes appeared glassy, and his balance was "not normal."

Cunningham also told police, according to prosecutors, that he "takes a lot" of prescription medication, but denied having anything to drink. Police looked up the prescriptions Cunningham said he had taken that day, one of which had a warning that it can "impair judgment, thinking, or motor skills and that users should use caution when operating machinery."

Court filings said a preliminary breath test yielded results of 0.00, and Cunningham performed field sobriety tests. The officer determined Cunningham's "ability to operate a motor vehicle was impaired and that he could not do so safely." 

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When told he was under arrest for OWI, the complaint states Cunningham "laughed out loud."

Investigators also spoke to children and parents.

One child said she hit her head numerous times when Cunningham slammed on the breaks, per the complaint, describing her headache as an "8 out of 10." A different child said Cunningham "almost crashed into a car," and a third child told a parent she thought "the bus was going so fast it was going to tip."

The complaint states one of the children described what happened as "the most terrifying day of my life" and said "I thought he was going to kidnap us."

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Bus video, GPS

What they're saying:

Prosecutors noted it was "clear based on the audio of the bus footage" that Cunningham "had a major lack of respect for the kids on the bus and it truly appeared that he did not care."

Court filings said video showed the bus abruptly stopped numerous times in "unsafe and dangerous places," including the middle of the road. It also showed, when he stopped when confronted by the parent, he initially got out of the driver's seat without putting the bus in park. 

School bus driver arrested in Hartland (Courtesy: Angelique Tober)

According to the complaint, based on GPS and surveillance video, a representative of the bus company – Dousman Transport Company – told police it seemed to be "more of a misunderstanding." The representative said Cunninhgam missed the initial stop and turned into a subdivision to back track, at which time multiple kids thought their stop was being missed. The representative said it was not Cunningham's normal route.

Court filings said the video showed Cunningham yelled at students who were not seated appropriately, and told them to "shut up" and sit down numerous times. The video showed kids yelling at Cunningham that he missed a stop, to which Cunningham told them he did, and the kids all continued to yell – and Cunningham shouted back.

Prosecutors said the kids told Cunningham he "can't talk to them like that," to which he said: "I am god on this bus."

Video also captured the confrontation with the parent, during which the parent walked up to the bus door, stepped up and Cunningham began to yell at the parent, per the complaint. Kids began to walk forward, and Cunningham jumped up to stop them from getting off the bus, at which time the bus began to roll forward. Cunningham quickly sat down and put the bus in park. Cunningham and the parent continued to talk, during which Cunningham was "clearly worked up." The kids started to get off the bus, and Cunningham no longer tried to stop them. Once all the kids were off the bus, he began to drive away.

In court

What's next:

Cunningham is due back in court for a preliminary hearing in March. 

The school district said Tuesday that it was offering additional support for the students and families involved. District leaders plan to meet with the school bus company next week.

Official statement

Dousman Transport Company (Jan. 28, 2025)

"On January 27, 2025, one of Dousman Transport Company’s (DTC) drivers was arrested on charges of operating a school bus while intoxicated and recklessly endangering safety. DTC has confirmed the following information. This bus was operating an afternoon take-home route for the Hartland-Lakeside School District. The driver of this route has been an employee of Dousman Transport Company for approximately five years, and was assigned to this route as a substitute driver for the afternoon. Dousman Transport Company has confirmed the driver was fully qualified to operate a school bus with passengers, including background investigations conducted in accordance with State statutes.

"This matter remains under investigation. A review of onboard camera footage and GPS data indicates the driver lost his direction on the route and missed multiple student stops. According to the Hartland Police Department, there was no indication that alcohol was involved in this incident. Dousman Transport Company has suspended the driver, pending results of the full investigation. Inquiries regarding this matter are referred to the Waukesha County District Attorney’s office."

The Source: Information in this report is from the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office, Wisconsin Circuit Court and Hartland-Lakeside School District.

Crime and Public SafetyHartlandNews