By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – A Chicago area law firm is naming a half-dozen priests accused of sexual abuse who served in Bloomington-Normal.

The law firm Jeff Anderson and Associates represents alleged victims, and on Wednesday it released a report identifying the names of every Catholic priest and lay person in Illinois who has been accused of sexual misconduct.

The report says a man came forward in 2004 claiming Thomas Miller sexually abused him at Bloomington’s Holy Trinity Church in 1979, then other survivors made similar allegations. Miller was assigned to Holy Trinity from 1980 to 1983.

William Harbert was at Holy Trinity from 1963 to 1966. He’s accused of sexually abusing at least five children in Pekin, Rock Island, Moline, and Walnut.

Thomas Maloney allegedly molested at least five children. He worked at Epiphany Catholic Church in Normal from 1974 to 1976, and again from 1996 to 2002. Maloney was also assigned to Chenoa’s St. Joseph Catholic Church from 1977 to 1995.

Duane Leclercq was accused of sexually abusing a minor in the 1980’s. He was assigned to Holy Trinity from 1965 to 1968.

Louis Condon, assigned to Holy Trinity from 1979 to 1980, allegedly molested a girl and a boy in Lincoln, and a boy in Delavan.

Michael Van Acker was accused of child sexual abuse in the 1980’s. He worked at Holy Trinity in 1982 and Central Catholic High School from 1983 to 1986.

The law firm does not know the whereabouts of Miller, Leclercq, and Van Acker. Harbert, Maloney, and Condon have died.

In all, the law firm named 29 priests who served with the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, which covers McLean County. In a statement, the diocese said all but three of the cases had previously been made public.

The Peoria diocese said it is committed to maintaining a safe environment to all children.

Links to the law firm’s report can be found here.

The Peoria diocese’s response can be found here.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]