A Minneapolis man accused of committing a sex act on a Minneapolis school bus with children on board pleaded guilty earlier this week in Hennepin County District Court.

Michael C. Friedrichs, 54, pleaded guilty Monday to fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct and was sentenced to a year in the workhouse. District Judge Daniel Moreno gave him credit for 55 days he has spent in custody.

According to court document and police, Friedrichs was carrying a backpack and posing as a student when he got on the bus at 42nd Street and Longfellow Avenue S. about 7 a.m. on March 17.

When Friedrichs left the bus, the driver, who had been on the job for less than a month, became suspicious. When he checked the area where the defendant had been sitting, he found slashed seats and evidence of a solo sex act, so the driver called radio dispatch to report the incident, police said at the time.

The bus was on a regular route, headed for Seward Montessori School. The Minneapolis School District notified parents about the incident shortly after it happened.

Friedrichs also was ordered to pay $388 in restitution for damage to the school bus.

PAT PHEIFER