Former bus driver sexually assaulted mentally disabled teen girl: Charges

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Published  August 25, 2025 8:04pm CDT
FOX 9

The Brief

    • Timothy Thomas Wilkemeyer is charged with criminal sexual conduct for assaults that allegedly occurred in 2017.
    • Wilkemeyer had allegedly been the victim's bus driver since she was 5 years old, and when she was 17 years old, was involved in several sexual encounters.
    • The charges state that the victim’s mother told police she was on the autism spectrum, and struggled with emotional understanding and self-worth.

RUSHFORD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A former school bus driver is being charged with sexually assaulting a teen girl whose mother says is on the autism spectrum.

Former bus driver charged with sexual assault

What we know:

Timothy Thomas Wilkemeyer, 54, of Rushford, Minnesota, is charged with criminal sexual conduct while in a position of authority for assaults that allegedly occurred in 2017.

According to the Winona County Sheriff’s Office, one of its deputies was contacted by the Rushford Police Department Chief on Aug. 6, 2025, regarding allegations of a sexual assault by a former school bus driver and a former student that occurred between her sophomore and junior high school years.

According to police, an interview occurred on Aug. 11, during which the victim stated that the assault occurred in the driveway of a residence located in the city of Lewiston.

Charges state that the victim told police that Wilkemeyer had been her bus driver since she was 5-years-old, and that they would give each other gifts.

She stated that she was having trouble finding a boyfriend and had questions about sex, so she asked him, since she considered him a friend.

Throughout the course of a year, she reported sexual contact occurring multiple times, during which she was still 17-years-old.

The charges state that the victim’s mother told police she was on the autism spectrum and struggled with emotional understanding and self-worth.

Wilkemeyer questioned

Dig deeper:

When questioned by police regarding the allegations, Wilkemeyer allegedly told police that he remembered the victim as someone who was picked on, and that he felt sorry for her. He was also aware that she was in a special education class, according to the charges.

When asked about the first time he made sexual contact with her, Wilkemeyer allegedly said that he believed it was on her 18th birthday, since "she was wearing something provocative."

Charges claim he also admitted that they talked "about sexual things" on multiple occasions.

The Source: Information provided by charges filed in Winona County.

Crime and Public SafetyMinnesota