Fr. Howard F. Yeakle
Named publicly as accused by the Archdiocese on its list 4/24/2019, which notes two allegations of abuse of minors by Yeakle in the 1960s. Another allegation was received in 2018. Worked in archdiocesan parishes 1951-1971. Left the priesthood in 1972. Married. Died in 1988. Included in the 4/5/2023 MD Attorney General’s Report. Files show that a woman reported in 1997 that Yeakle sexually abused her three brothers while assigned to St. Brigid sometime during 1961-1969. No apparent action. She again called in 2002 and said that after their father died, Yeakle became a father figure to the family. Another man told the Archdiocese in 2002 that Yeakle sexually abused him in the early 1960s, having become a father figure because his own father was “distant.” The 2018 report was of abuse of a boy in 1970 or 1971; the accuser said Yeakle touched his penis once in a locker room.
Return to main database page. See abbreviations and posting policy. Send corrections.
Our Database of Publicly Accused does not state or imply that individuals facing allegations are guilty of a crime or liable for civil claims. The reports contained in the database are merely allegations. The U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.