WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Hartland man accused of taking students on a dangerous bus ride and leaving them on the side of the road had his bail lowered.
It was reduced from $1 million to $150,000. Supporters filled the courtroom for Walter Cunningham, 72, saying there was much more going on aboard the bus than what is being heard in court.
“The only reason the kids were taken off the bus is because the gentleman who opened the doors of the bus, the parent,” said Cindy Bindrich, a friend of Cunningham’s.
Watch: Fellow bus drivers call route that led to Hartland bus driver's arrest confusing
She was one of more than two dozen people who filled Cunningham’s side of the courtroom. Along with friends, there were a dozen fellow bus drivers and a grandparent whose granddaughters ride on Cunningham’s normal route.
“This is a good, good man,” said Bill Gillette, speaking about Cunningham.
He is a former bus driver, and now his two granddaughters are taken to and from school every day by Cunningham.
“My two granddaughters, I pick them up from the bus. They are 11 years old. Lena and Molly, they love this guy,” said Gillette.
Cunningham is charged with 28 counts of recklessly endangering safety. Twenty-seven counts are for the students he was driving last month, and one is for a parent who entered his bus. Court records say Cunningham repeatedly missed students' bus stops and was driving recklessly before a parent stopped in front of the bus and got on it. All the kids got off the bus and were on the side of the road before police arrived.
The bus drivers who came in support say the court records don’t show the whole picture, and they have seen the video from inside the bus of the incident. They say the route itself is confusing.
“I have driven the route Walter was driving and have gotten lost on it and have gone the wrong way,” said Jeffrey Erwin, a fellow bus driver.
They also say some of the students on that route are rowdy.
“The first stop that he missed tends to have some students who have challenging behaviors,” said Janice Mayer, a fellow bus driver.
“It is not a little rowdy. They are completely and totally out of control,” said Cheri Chounardpease, another bus driver who says she saw the video of the incident. “They were cussing and screaming and yelling at him. They were doing horrendous things on that bus. And anyone would have been rattled. Even a regular driver.”
The judge did agree with the defense that the original bail of $1 million was too high. He reset Walter’s bail to $150,000. Parents of the students were given the chance to talk to the court before the change, but no one chose to.
“His student management might not have been good, but he didn’t do anything criminal,” said Cindy.
Cunningham still hasn’t entered a plea, but his lawyer says he will plead not guilty. He is due back in court March 3 in Waukesha County.
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