Michigan church youth director facing child sex charges receives new trial date
A former Washtenaw County church youth director facing 60 charges for child sex crimes was back in court Thursday for a pretrial conference.
The number of charges for Zachary Radcliff has kept growing since he was first charged with 11 counts related to criminal sexual conduct, child sexual abuse material and using a computer to commit a crime.
Michigan State Police say the charges stem from Radcliff's time working as the youth director at the Oakwood Baptist Church in Augusta Township, where his father is the lead pastor.
By December 2024, those charges mounted to a total of 30 as more victims came forward. Over the next year, a judge added 30 more charges, making a total of 60 when Radcliff entered the courtroom on Thursday.
Police say the allegations go back as far as 2011 and that the victims were between the ages of 12 and 17 when they occurred.
While Radcliff's case was already bound over to trial, attorneys agreed to postpone it from starting on March 9, 2026, to June 15, 2026.
"We are asking for more time. That is with the consent of our client. Mr. Radcliff understands the prosecution had witness issues, and he understands the defense needs more time," said Radcliff's defense attorney, Shannon Smith.
Radcliff will continue to stay at the Washtenaw County Jail on a $3 million bond.
The Michigan State Police confirmed the door is still open for any remaining victims to come forward by reaching out to Trooper Ryan with the Michigan State Police Brighton Post at 517-899-6174.
They say anyone with information related to this case can make a call to him at that number, which could lead to more charges for Radcliff.