A Brighton-area man has been bound over for trial on charges he tried to run down the mother of a teen girl he’s accused of sexually assaulting.

33-year-old Marcus Wayne Nichols was already out on bond from a June arrest on charges including assault & battery, criminal sexual conduct and unlawful imprisonment, when police say he used a vehicle to try and hit the mother of the victim and her friend. On Tuesday, he was bound over to Livingston County Circuit Court on two counts of felonious assault. Nichols attorneys contend the mother initiated the incident by throwing something at his car as he drove past.

Meanwhile, a motion hearing is set this afternoon in circuit court on the original charges, which are scheduled to go to trial September 16th. The victim in that case previously told WHMI that she feels unsafe while Nichols remains free. Court documents indicate the teen girl said Nichols would push her into walls and doors and she was scared to say no to sex with him. If convicted, Nichols could face 15 years in prison. (JK)