Pewaukee bus driver facing additional charges
A Pewaukee bus driver previously charged with sexual assault of a child now faces additional charges related to a second child.
Three additional felony charges were filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court May 27 in an amended criminal complaint against Thomas Felser: one count of first-degree child sexual assault — sexual contact with a child younger than 13, and two counts of sexual misconduct by school staff or volunteer.
He was originally charged May 16 with one felony count of repeated sexual assault of a child and three felony counts of sexual misconduct by school staff or volunteer.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He remains in Waukesha County Jail on $350,000 bail, according to online court records.
The amended complaint is similar to the original complaint, which said a mom went to the location of her child's bus May 13 after noticing on an app that it had not moved for 10 minutes. She discovered Felser and her child sitting close to each other, and Felser said they were just talking about the child's day. Security footage showed Felser and the child sitting next to each other that day, as well as other days. That child told police Felser touched them in their private areas, the complaint said.
The amended complaint came about after police reviewed additional security footage from all of Felser's routes from April 2 to May 23, 2025. They discovered Felser had inappropriately touched another child on multiple occasions, the complaint said, listing incidents on April 3, April 7, April 16, April 17, April 28 and May 6.
In a May 23 interview with police, a different child said Felser was playing the "monster" game, which involved going to the back of the bus and hiding. The child said Felser was usually the monster. When police asked whether Felser touched them where he wasn't supposed to, the child said they did not know and that they did not want to tell the officer "because it is 'super weird.'"
Go Riteway, the bus company that Felser worked for, conducts full background checks for staff, has security cameras on all buses and provides universal training for staff on child abuse and neglect. It also provides GPS tracking, including the Here Comes the Bus app available to parents. The company declined to comment on Felser's case.
Felser's attorney, Craig Powell, could not be immediately reached for comment.
In a letter to parents, Pewaukee Schools Superintendent Mike Cady shared a link with community resources, which can be accessed at rb.gy/8qheqk. He declined to comment on the case.
Anyone with additional information should call Village of Pewaukee Police at 262-446-5070, Cady said in his letter.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on X (Twitter) at @AlecJohnson12.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pewaukee bus driver facing additional charges
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