By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


A Brighton man convicted of raping a teenage girl as she worked at an area golf course has been delayed until later this summer.

21-year-old Zachary Lally was found guilty by a jury in March on multiple felony counts, including three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct causing personal injury, one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct causing injury and one count of assault with intent to commit sexual penetration. The jury also found him not guilty on one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Lally had been set to be sentenced today (Friday) via Zoom by Livingston County Circuit Court Judge Michael Hatty, but his attorney, Roland Sizemore, said he was unwilling to forego an in-person sentencing and wanted to wait until Lally could appear in court with family members. Sizemore also indicated he planned to file two pre-sentencing motions. So a motion hearing was set for July 24th and a new sentencing date tentatively scheduled for August 6th.

Lally was charged in October of 2018 after he was accused of assaulting a teenage girl who was working at a concession stand at the Oak Pointe Country Club Golf Course in Genoa Township. According to her testimony, Lally and another man bought beer from her and then left to go golfing. She said Lally later returned and that she got into a golf cart with him to go search for a deer that had been spotted earlier. She said when they got to a stand of trees, Lally forced himself onto her, at first trying to kiss her, but then pushing her to the ground and raping her. Afterward she fled in the golf cart back to the concession stand, where she found Lally's phone and called his friend. The two of them proceeded to go back and pick up Lally as she was concerned about his state of mind. But she said when they returned to the concession stand, Lally again tried to assault her; however, he was interrupted by other club members; one of whom drove her back to the clubhouse.

When authorities confronted him about acting belligerently at the golf course the night of the incident, Lally admitted that he had had a significant amount of alcohol. Lally will remain in the Livingston County Jail pending sentencing, when he faces up to life in prison.