Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul released a close to 700 page report about decades of child sex abuse by members of the Catholic clergy and other religious brothers in Illinois. Some of the names come from the Diocese of Peoria, which picks clergymen for LaSalle County. Seven catholic clergies mentioned have ties to Ottawa. The reports of abuse filed against priests serving between 1950 and 1980 were members of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Columba, and St. Patrick’s Church. Names mentioned included Robert O. Barnett, Robert Creager, Francis Engels, William Isermann, J. Eugene Kane, Gregory James Plunkett, and John Ryan.
The report also told a more graphic story about a person in Streator who had suffered sexual abuse under George H. Hiland at St. Stephen’s Covenant. Two other people that worked at Streator catholic churches that were mentioned were Isermann and Laurance Schumacher. Rauol’s report also talked about Samuel Pusateri who served at St. Bede Academy was later pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a 17-year old. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
Other people mentioned in the report included William Virtue, M. Duane Leclercq, and Schumacher who were at St. Theresa Church in Earlville. In Mendota, John Onderko and Jerome “Jerry” Pilon also had abuse reports againt them. Not all the names mentioned sexual abuse cases happened in LaSalle County. Some happened in other states or cities but the men mentioned served at the churches before or after the allegations came out. Raoul says it is his hope that this report will shine light both on those who violated their positions of power and trust to abuse innocent children, and on the men in church leadership who covered up that abuse. These perpetrators may never be held accountable in a court of law, but by naming them here, the intention is to provide a public accountability and a measure of healing to survivors who have long suffered in silence. The Catholic dioceses of Illinois had only listed 103 sustained child sex abusers before.
Reports in LaSalle County:
Robert O. Barnett
AbuseDate/Location of Reported Abuse 1964-1966: LaSalle County, IL
Diocese claim of first report: 1964
Placed on Catholic Church Public Lists
08/26/19: Diocese of Peoria, IL
Actions/Status
1991: Died
Robert Creager
Date/Location of Reported Abuse : 1972-1982: LaSalle County, IL
Diocese claim of first report: 2002
Placed on Catholic Church Public Lists
11/29/18: Diocese of Peoria, IL
Actions/Status
1998: Retired
2002: Removed from ministry
2008: Died
William Isermann
Date/Location of Reported Abuse: 1950s-1970s: LaSalle and Tazewell
Counties, IL
Diocese claim of first report: 1993
Placed on Catholic Church Public Lists
March 2019: Diocese of Peoria, IL
Actions/Status
1993: Removed
1996: Died
Kenneth J. Roberts
Date/Location of Reported Abuse
1980s: LaSalle County, IL
Diocese claim of first report: 2006
Placed on Catholic Church Public Lists
01/31/19: Diocese of Dallas, TX
07/26/19: Archdiocese of St. Louis, MO
03/06/19: Diocese of Peoria, IL
02/12/20: Diocese of Belleville, IL
Actions/Status
1995: Retired
1998: Removed from ministry
2018: Died
George Hiland
Date/Location of Reported Abuse
1970: LaSalle County, IL
Diocese claim of first report: 1993
Placed on Catholic Church Public Lists
11/29/18: Diocese of Peoria, IL
Actions/Status
1993: Removed from ministry
John Onderko
Date/Location of Reported Abuse
1971: LaSalle County, IL
Diocese claim of first report: 1964
Placed on Catholic Church Public Lists
11/29/18: Diocese of Peoria, IL
Actions/Status
2005: Retired