A Michigan church youth pastor who moonlights as a Christian rock singer and has performed before high-profile conservative audiences has been accused of preying on teenagers in his father’s flock for more than 10 years.
Zachary Radcliff, 29, was fired Oct. 12 from his job as the music and youth director of Oakwood Church in Ypsilanti, an Ann Arbor suburb, 10 days after the Michigan State Police launched an investigation. His father, Frank Radcliff, is the church's senior pastor.
“We realized while talking to him that there was more to the situation than was being expressed,” the church said in a statement posted on its website.
Zachary Radcliff was arrested over the weekend and charged with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of aggravated child sexually abusive activity, two counts of child sexually abusive activity and six counts of using a computer to commit crime, according to court records. He was being held on $3 million bond.
“The investigation shows the alleged offenses have been occurring since as early as 2011,” the Michigan State Police said on its official X account, which noted that the alleged victims ranged in age from 12 to 17.
The date of offense for the charges against Radcliff is June 27, 2014, according to court records. The state police said that is because the majority of the alleged offenses happened around that time.
But the church, which is cooperating with the police investigation, shed more light on what Radcliff is accused of doing in its statement.
“The information that we received was shocking,” it said. “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.”
Radcliff, who lives just south of Ann Arbor in the town of Saline, faces anywhere from 20 years to life in prison if convicted on the most serious charges against him, according to court records.
The state police said it launched its investigation of Radcliff on Oct. 2 after being told that he had allegedly solicited sexually abusive material from a minor. A search warrant was executed at his office and residence.
Radcliff, according to his Liberty Music Group: God and Country Record Label biography, is “an alumnus of Liberty University’s School of Music.”
“He has a passion not only as a musician and songwriter but also as a public citizen to do his part to make this country be the best it can be,” it reads. “His country style and humble blue-collar background influence his musical style and fan base. He has a passion for God, country, and music which is exuded in his personality.”
Before his arrest, Radcliff was carving out a musical career that included a performance in 2019 at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
An ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump, Radcliff also posted a video on YouTube of himself performing his patriotic anthem “I’ll Stand” in November 2019 as part of the convocation at Liberty University.
Donald Trump Jr. can be seen in the background along with then Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr.
In the description beneath the video, it says that Radcliff “shared the stage with Donald Trump Jr, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Jerry Falwell, Becki Falwell, Tim Lee, and Charlie Kirk.”
