Former Pewaukee bus driver sentenced to 60 years for sexual assault of young girls
PEWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A former Pewaukee school bus driver convicted of sexually assaulting four young girls learned his sentence Friday, July 24.
The victims' families packed the courtroom, sharing the trauma they're still living with.
At 63 years old, Thomas Felser will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after receiving a 60-year sentence.
After hearing the sentence, there was not a dry eye in sight from the victims' families.
Felse was convicted on eight charges, including repeated sexual assault of a child, after prosecutors said he abused four girls while driving a school bus. In emotional victim impact statements, family members described how the abuse continues to affect their children, aged between 4 and 6.
One parent said their daughter now suffers nightmares, attends therapy, but they're determined these crimes won't define her life.
Another said their family now lives with the uncertainty of the long-term emotional impact, while a third shared their child developed fears, nightmares, and now is homeschooled because she no longer feels safe around men.
One victim's sister said the pain has changed their family forever and shattered the trust her sister once had.
The judge said Felser is a predator who exploited the children for his own desires.
"He absolutely knew better and he used his experience with children to groom these girls," Assistant District Attorney Vivien Morris said.
"A man who was justifying and trying to find an out, and trying to find excuses and to blame the children that you were victimizing. I heard an arrogant man and a small man. What I mostly heard was somebody who had no sense of obligation or remorse," Judge William Domina said.
Along with the 60-year prison sentence, the judge ordered 40 years of extended supervision.