Thomas Felser
PEWAUKEE, Wis. - A former Pewaukee teacher and school bus driver, already accused of child sexual assault, is now charged with four new felony counts.
Charges filed
In Court:
Prosecutors filed an amended criminal complaint against 62-year-old Thomas Felser on Wednesday. It includes new charges of first-degree child sexual assault, repeated sexual assault of a child and two counts of sexual misconduct by school staff.
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Earlier this year, prosecutors accused Felser of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl on his school bus multiple times. Additional charges were filed less than two weeks later after a second victim was discovered.
The charges filed Wednesday mark the third time in less than two months that Felser has been accused of child sexual assault. In total, he now faces 11 felonies involving at least four victims:
- First-degree child sexual assault
- Repeated sexual assault of a child (three counts)
- Sexual misconduct by school staff (seven counts)
Court records show his bond has been set at $40,000.
Police investigate
The backstory:
Prosecutors accused Felser of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl on his school bus multiple times. Investigators said he gave the girl candy and made her sit on his lap. He allegedly put his hands down her pants when they were alone.
The victim’s mother checked a GPS app and saw the school bus had not moved for several minutes. She then drove to the bus and said she found Felser alone with her daughter. Police reviewed bus surveillance video, which prosecutors said captured Felser "repeatedly touching the victim."
Prosecutors also said Felser sat with the girl in a row of seats obscured by the school bus’s camera.
Thomas Felser in court (June 2)
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 said Felser put his hand under a 5-year-old girl’s skirt.
Police said 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."
According to the criminal complaint, Felser called the preschooler a "cute little baby" and said "don’t tell anybody."
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The newest set of charges does not explain exactly what Felser is accused of doing. Based on court filings, they involve at least two victims.
The victim of the alleged first-degree sexual assault is 6 years old, while another victim identified in court filings was 4 years old at the time of the alleged assault.
Decades 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.
As of May 15, Felser's employer, Go Riteway, placed him on leave.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circut Court, as well as prior coverage of Felser's case, for this report.