WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) - A former Hartland school bus driver accused of operating a bus while intoxicated with students on board was sentenced Friday to 30 days in jail - time already served - in a case that continues to divide parents and members of the bus driving community.

Seventy-three-year-old Walter Cunningham pleaded no contest in Waukesha County court to four misdemeanor charges after originally facing 28 felony counts.

A judge also revoked Cunningham’s driver’s license for 12 months, placed him on one year of probation, and banned him from operating a bus.

The charges stem from a January 2025 incident when students riding Cunningham’s bus home called 911, saying he was acting erratically, missing stops and yelling, “I am God on this bus.”

Parents of students who were on the bus said the sentence brought accountability.

“They were very scared. It’s very traumatic to go through something like that,” said parent Nick Jaros. “We never prepared them for something like that, so what are they supposed to do?”

Jaros said he believed the punishment was appropriate.

“Actions do have consequences and if he chose to make some bad actions, I think he was given a reasonable penalty for those actions,” he said.

Cunningham’s attorney argued lab results showed Cunningham was not impaired at the time of the incident, saying he had taken Mucinex and prescribed antidepressants that day.

The judge also questioned how prosecutors handled the case, saying the original charges were excessive.

Some in the bus driving community criticized the outcome and defended Cunningham.

“He served his country, loved by his friends and coworkers, and he gets this?” said retired bus driver Bill Gillette. “I understand the judge was handed off but this was a travesty.”

Others pointed to student behavior on the bus.

“The behavior of those kids frustrated an older man who was subbing,” bus driver Janice Meyer said. “He did nothing criminally wrong.”

Parents pushed back on those claims.

“It’s being framed that our kids are just bad kids,” Jaros said. “I feel like it’s unfair to our kids and us as parents to portray them like that.”

When given the opportunity to address the court, Cunningham briefly responded: “I better keep my mouth shut, sir.”