A Washtenaw County church and music director was arrested and arraigned for criminal sexual conduct and charges connected to child sexually abusive material.
Zachary Radcliff, 29, faces 11 charges and is being held on a $3 million bond. Michigan State Police say the investigation has identified multiple victims who were between the ages of 12 to 17 years old at the time of the reported crimes. In a Tuesday afternoon update, investigators shared some of the alleged offenses that happened as early as 2011.
State police arrested the 29-year-old, who is also the son of the senior pastor at the Oakwood Church in Ypsilanti, after launching an investigation against him on Oct. 2.
“The investigation started on October 2, 2024, when information was received that Mr. Radcliff solicited Child Sexually Abusive Material from a minor,” state police announced. “Search warrants were executed at both Mr. Radcliff’s office and residence. The investigation has identified multiple victims.”
The church announced that Radcliff, the son of the senior pastor, was first suspended but eventually terminated without pay on Oct. 12. Radcliff, who performed a song at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2019, is a known supporter of Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.
Radcliff faces charges including one count of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree (felony), two counts of aggravated child sexually abusive activity (felony), two counts of child sexually abusive activity (felony), five counts of using a computer / internet to commit a crime (felony) and one count of using a computer to commit a crime with a maximum punishment greater than 20 years or life (felony).
Court records reveal he was initially charged with four counts of child abuse and one count of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree in June 2014. It’s unclear why the music and youth director was arraigned for his 2014 charges 10 years later on Sunday.
“The information that we received was shocking,” said a release from Oakwood Church. “We were told that Zachary had been soliciting inappropriate photos and possibly videos from teens. We have also heard other stories. This information has ripped our hearts apart.”
“The State Police were notified by families that were involved and our church staff. We are not aware of the full extent of his crimes, and we are doing everything we can to cooperate with the ongoing police investigation,” the church said. “The information that we received was shocking. We were told that Zachary had been soliciting inappropriate photos and possibly videos from teens. We have also heard other stories.
“This information has ripped our hearts apart. We have counseling that is being set up and provided for any youth or adults who have been impacted by this crime.”
